


Brave New World, Book 5: The Fifth Tide

by MoonFox



Series: Brave New World [5]
Category: Doctor Who, Merlin (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bromance, F/M, Other, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-11 07:33:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonFox/pseuds/MoonFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Decisions must be made to move forward for Arthur and the Knights.  Meanwhile, Merlin's life is hanging by a very thin thread.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** _Brave New World 5: The Fifth Tide_ **

** __ **

 

 

_The air so free_

_calms the wave of pain_

_carries another away on it's tide_

_and you ride it home._

_~Jean Mann, "Tide"_

* * *

 

_7500 years ago..._

"Are you certain it will work, Merlin?" The old man asked. His aged hand trembled, as he reached out and caressed one of the nearby crystals, like a long lost friend. He felt the hum of energy pulse through him. It still amazed him that they were able to find a world that had accepted the crystals from the Dragon Nebula in his home galaxy. The few he had managed to bring with him, were seeded in this cave and they grew, until they covered nearly every surface.

It reminded him of home in Celestis...a home he would never see again...not that he wanted to. The Ori had grown so thirsty for power, they were willing to sacrifice anyone who stood in their way, just to harness it for themselves. The energy from the crystals in the nebula had already been either destroyed, or corrupted beyond recognition, by the Ori's evil.

"Why wouldn't I be? You and your kind will be safe here, and no one will be able to get to this cave without your permission." The Alteran said, briefly glancing at his companion.

Moros had given up his position as the High Councilor of Atlantis, to help save Taliesin's people, when they had fled from the Celestis Galaxy. He had even put off his own personal Ascension to take care of this one last detail. "Taliesin, my friend, it will be a precautionary measure for your kind, if it is ever needed. Nothing more."

Taliesin's shoulders heaved, with a heavy sigh. He was the last of the Dragon Lords who had come from Celestis. His dragon companion had already passed on a few years earlier, and he knew his own time was short. His mate, a petite, green-haired Nox, whom he'd met when the Great Alliance formed, was also gone now. She had passed on her knowledge and the teachings of her people to some of the humans. Some were children born of the Dragon Lords and their human mates. A few rare others simply had a talent for what many of the people on this planet thought of as magic. They had begun to call themselves druids.

Taliesin sat back in a chair made of natural stone, carved inside the cave and surrounded by the crystals. He wished he could be around to see what was to become of his people in the future.

"Are you ready?" Moros asked.

Taliesin nodded and the process began. He would never be able to leave the area surrounding the cave again. His physical body would die once the transfer was completed...but, if it worked...some or all of his memories would be embedded into one of the crystals, for future generations of Furlings to access and learn from. If Moros' plan worked, it would also be guarded for eternity against anyone who didn't possess the gifts of the Dragon Lords. Taliesin hoped that it would be enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to not only Nance for proofing, but IcarusLSU for flow, Sarajm for idea bouncing, and Heatherlly for some paragraph structuring and word help!
> 
> Nance, FeedtheFlames, Shelle-ma-belle, and Mattew72...thank you so much for your reviews!
> 
> Ok, so it's been over a year in the timeline of this story, I think it's time to have a totally Gwaine chapter :) maybe give him a little reward for all the angst I've put him through... Please review if you would be so kind!

* * *

Gwaine's plan, when he was finally released from duty, included stopping by the liquor store on the way...

'The way where?' He asked himself.

Home was with Laney and the boys, technically, but he didn't think his sister would appreciate him getting completely shitfaced at home...which was all he wanted to do right now. He'd pushed the hallucination he'd had to the back of his mind. With so much happening in the aftermath of the battle, it was easy to do.

When Merlin went down, it was the furthest thing from his mind. With Arthur nearby, it was easy to ignore. Once Merlin and Arthur had been transported...that was when the doubts began to set in. He hadn't slept properly in days.

When he finally arrived back on Earth, he was assessed physically and found to be in rather good condition, considering the circumstances. The laceration on his head was superficial. He had made an appointment with the grief counselor, as per protocol for everyone on the mission.

He went to see Arthur, and made sure he was alright; who then finally saw fit to inform Gwaine of the recent revelations regarding Merlin's health, and his connection to the missing dragon. He asked if the sword could help give his friend a boost. Arthur reluctantly admitted, it was still on board Leon's ship. After Merlin's mention of it in front of the others, they seemed too keen on the idea of studying it for his liking.

Merlin was still comatose...nearly dead to the world. Some sort of weird brain aneurysm, was the closest words Carolyn was able to use to describe it. Though, she had made certain to tell them, that according to the scans and tests, whatever had happened, didn't appear to be part of what was affecting him now.

Martha had flown in on the first available flight. She was currently alternating between sitting at her husband's bedside, and working with Carolyn to figure out a way to bring Merlin out of the coma.

There were a dozen or so messages from his sister on his phone. He all but ignored them, sending her a single text saying he was back, and alive. Then, he stuffed the phone into a bag in his locker, and walked away. He would deal with her wrath later, when he had a better idea of what direction he wanted to go. Arthur had said, they'd figure something out, but as of yet...nothing had been decided, or even discussed.

For a couple of hours, Gwaine had actually thought he was going to be alright. He just wanted a bit of space. He'd managed to deal with the dream, vision, hallucination...whatever the hell it was...by continuing to ignore it, until he'd found out that SG-1 had returned with Daniel Jackson and the real Vala Mal Doran.

The fact they had returned, and had saved both people, wasn't the issue. The problem came when he had overheard them discussing what had transpired.

Jackson had indeed Ringed aboard the Ori ship, which happened to be the same one Vala was being kept on. She had mentioned, when she was in Jackson's body, that she was pregnant. When the archaeologist had found her, she wasn't anymore. The child had been taken from her by a Prior. It seemed her pregnancy was nothing more than an underhanded way of...as Vala put it so eloquently..."Sneaking one of their own over the border."

In the rules of Ascension, the beings of that other dimension weren't allowed to interfere directly. However, putting all their knowledge into a child born of a human, was a way to get around it. Genetic manipulation had caused the girl to become full grown in about a day.

Sitting next to Merlin's bedside, he'd overheard them discussing the issue while Vala was recovering in her own hospital bed. The girl's name was Adria, and supposedly looked very similar to her human mother, with dark hair and pale skin. Gwaine shivered when they mentioned how her eyes had a constant reddish-orange glow. A memory of a similar woman coming unbidden into his mind.

He was startled and somehow knocked over the nearby tray-table when they said a word that struck a chord of fear, deep inside him. She was being called, by the followers of the Ori, as 'The Orici.' The hallucination's voice resounded in his head...Morgana, whispering the same word.

Orici.

In a flash, the memories came back with a flood of feelings...failure and desperation; the hours of torture, with Morgana gloating over him. Eira's betrayal, and the remorseless loathing when she was discovered. Her eyes, he once thought so soft and kind, were hard as stone and cold as ice.

Mitchell had turned to look at the noise of the tray hitting the floor. "You okay, man?"

Gwaine shook his head, barely hearing the question. He needed to get the hell out of there. No way...there was no way she could have returned. Merlin had assured him she was dead and gone. Glancing down at his friend, he wondered what else Arthur and the others had forgotten to tell him.

It hurt to think that they'd forgotten to keep him in the loop on what appeared to be a few serious issues. He heard the sound of giggling, Across the room, he saw  _her_  sitting up on one of the other beds, a blue hospital gown covering her body. She smiled slightly and raised her eyebrows.  _'How does it feel to know you had betrayed your king?'_

"No..." He winced, rubbing his hands roughly over his eyes. When he looked again, it was a brunette woman sitting in the bed, not even looking at him.

He shook his head and waved off Mitchell's hand, not even remembering when his friend had approached. "I need some air."

* * *

The stars twinkled above, but his gaze was fixed on the ground in front of him. He didn't want to think about what, or who, might be up there.

"Hey, Gwaine."

"Carolyn." He stiffened and cast a glance behind him. Instinctively, he cupped his hand around an object he was holding, trying unsuccessfully to hide the small white plume emanating from it.

She smirked, unfazed by what she saw. "People have been looking for you."

He shrugged and exhaled a white puff of smoke with a cough. "How'd you find me?"

"I remember you telling me once, that you used to smoke, but gave it up."

"Damn...Busted." He took the last drag off the nearly burnt cigarette. He watched, as the glowing cherry of embers on the end flare to life one last time, before knocking it off on the sole of his boot, and scuffing the hot ashes into the dirt where they fell. Tossing the spent filter into a nearby trash can, he turned to her. "I stole that off of a tech sergeant. First one in...frack, I don't know how many years."

"As a doctor, I should tell you how bad it is for you, and all that. After all you've been through, though..."

"Yep." He answered before she was finished, effectively cutting her off.

She watched him for a moment, trying to assess what was going on, under the surface. "Did something happen up there? I mean, aside from the obvious."

His dark brown eyes closed for a moment. His mind was still reeling from hearing that voice, even if it had only been in his mind. Part of him wanted to brush off her concern and walk away from it all, but if this new threat...this Orici...really was somehow connected to Morgana, it wasn't something he could hold back about.

He sat on top of a picnic table, inhaling the warm air brought from a southern wind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a nearly empty pack of cheap cigarettes. Gwaine noticed her eyes shift from the pack to his face. "He took pity on me, gave me the last three he had on him."

She smiled, but didn't say a word. Sitting down at another picnic table, directly across from him, she motioned for him to continue his train of thought.

"Before I was extracted from the sixth century, I was tortured." He said, after lighting the smoke. It felt odd, and sort of liberating, to finally admit it out loud to someone other than his shrink, or his sister. Of course, she had known that, being the Base Doctor, and having saved his life when he was brought back through. There were parts about it no one knew, except Merlin.

"...By none other than Morgana, herself, just days after we thought we lost Arthur at Camlann.

"When I was knocked out on the Odyssey...or starting to come to...I don't bloody know which...I saw my worst fracking nightmare come to life. Morgana was walking towards me, taunting me. 'I've been reborn'...or some shit like that...Proclaiming she was a new Goddess of the stars...'I am the Orici.'"

"Damn. It was probably something you overheard, or..."

"Nope, that was still in the heat of the battle. I didn't find out about that whole Orici thing until less than an hour ago, when I overheard Mitchell and the others talking about it. One hell of a coincidence if I dreamt it..." He chuckled sourly. "I remember Arthur telling me...Morgana used to have prophetic dreams when she was young...Prelude to her going all 'dark side of the force' with her magic and shit. I don't know how or why...but..." He took a deep breath and continued to stare at the ground. The cigarette hanging loosely, and hardly touched, from between his fingers.

Carolyn studied him intently. "Did she say anything else?"

"She said I was once the strongest. I remember back then, traveling with Merlin, some little wizard called me Strength, too.

"A part of me doesn't want to be strong anymore. Old Merlin...he didn't even complain when he was asked to try and save Colonel Carter...Not a single word about how something like that could hurt him. I don't know if those guys trust me enough to tell me these things, after what I did back then...or what."

"You are strong. Hell, you would have to be, to survive all this and still be able to maintain a shred of sanity." Standing up, she walked over and took the smoke from his hand.

He watched with unabashed longing as she put it out, and then held out her hand to him.

"Come on. Let's go get your things and get you out of here. I already cleared it with the General. I'm taking you home with me tonight."

"The General cleared it for his daughter to take a man home?" His eyebrows lifted in an attempted teasing motion.

She glanced to the side, in a slight admission of guilt. "I may not have made it clear  _where_ I was taking you."

* * *

The condo apartment was quiet, with none of the neighborly noises that usually came with thin walls. He sat uneasily on the couch, a half-empty beer bottle in his hand. Picking at the edges of the label, he absently turned it around, seemingly fascinated by the brown glass.

Carolyn plucked it from his fingers and set it on the coffee table. "Want to talk?"

"Not particularly."

She watched his face studiously; her fingers traced circles on the base of his neck. "Gwaine, we've been dating for a while, right?"

He chuckled and grinned, "Yeah, I suppose we have."

"So, tell me..." Her hand stilled and she gave him a teasing smirk. "What's the real reason I haven't been able to get anywhere with you?"

He slouched into the cushions and ran his hands nervously over his scalp.

She sat next to him, her knees tucked under her. Delicate fingers brushed his jawline, rough with stubble. "Are you opposed to sex before marriage?" Although she highly doubted it was the case, Carolyn wanted to put the question out there, just to get him to talk to her.

"Noo..." Placing a hand across her knees, he rubbed his palm over her jeans. He had wondered about the reason himself. Each time they would get close, something inside him would shut down, and pull away. "I just don't know if I'm good enough for a woman like you." He lied.

His eyes shifted to meet hers. Carolyn untucked her legs and moved closer. Placing a hand on each of his shoulders, she straddled his lap. Her dark hair framed her tanned complexion, as she leaned in and kissed him gently. "I don't know why would think that. You're an amazing man, Gwaine Dallon. You just need to let go, and realize that for yourself."

He searched her eyes for any deception. There was only serious concern, not the patronizing expression he had expected, or seen from others. He wondered what really had been holding him back from going all the way with such a beautiful woman. She was everything he thought he had loved about Eira. Strong...independant...smart...but, she was obviously so much different.

Admitting to himself, that Carolyn was nothing like the blond spy, who had stolen his heart as part of a ruse, seemed to be a bigger step than he realized. Her concern for him held no hidden agenda. She was genuine. She was real. Why else would she have stuck with him over the past few months?

Morgana may have found a way to return, but Gwaine realized if he pushed away from the woman who was currently pressing herself against him enticingly, the witch would win. It had been over a year in his timeline since that had all taken place. He had doubted some days, like during the entire past week, if he would ever be over it.

Carolyn's fingers entwined around the back of his neck and she pulled his face closer to hers. "Are you still thinking?" She asked, her lips barely brushing against his; soft and light.

Gwaine had a choice. He could fall into old patterns of drinking and other habits as a way to cope, or he could fall into something else. Like Carolyn's bed perhaps, he thought with a sudden, devilish grin, as she gently tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. Gwaine couldn't let them win; those bitches of his past life. He needed to show them, show himself, that it was alright.

"Nope. I'm done with that for now." He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, his mouth met hers in a sudden outpouring of heated passion.

* * *

It was still dark, but the dim gray of twilight had started to highlight the edges of the horizon. A shrill ringtone cut through the stillness.

She felt so cozy and comfortable curled up under the covers. When she shifted, the blanket fell away and she felt the draft from the window that had been cracked open the night before. At the time, the room had seemed muggy and hot, but perhaps that had just been due to their lovemaking. Shivering, she sank down into the bed again, only to be startled when the phone rang again.

Bleary-eyed, her hand fumbled across the bed in the early morning chill, toward the table sitting off to the side. Her efforts were thwarted when a strong arm, that was laying across her hips, wrapped tightly around her and pulled her back against the warmth of his solid body. She almost decided to ignore the phone, but if it was work, it could be word about one of her patients, especially at this time of the morning.

Reluctantly, she wiggled her way out from under the masculine arm. The man next to her, just as naked as she was, after their shared passions, rolled onto his back, muttering in his sleep.

She recognized the number that displayed, but couldn't place who it belonged to. Swiping her thumb across the green answer symbol, she mumbled something that resembled a 'hello' around a wide yawn.

"Carolyn? Sorry to wake you. It's Laney."

Carolyn blinked, her mind beginning to work as she recognized the voice. "Hey. What's up?"

"Well..." Laney's voice didn't sound all that pleasant. "I finally recieved a text from Gwaine yesterday. 'I'm home. I'm alive.' Then, I didn't hear anything else from him. I've been up all night with a sick kid, and so, I decide with the time difference and all, I'd call Martha...you know, to see if she or Gwen had heard from their husbands; only to find out she's here in Colorado...Has been for a couple of days!...And guess what? The guys have been back for a few days, too."

Dark eyes blinked against the dimness of the room, attempting to follow the ranting coming from the phone. "Okay..." She said, not entirely sure what was going on.

Laney took a breath, apparently attempting to slow down. "Sorry. It's just been a very long couple of weeks. I'm trying to find my brother. Martha said he had some sort of freak out last night at the Base, while he was sitting with Merlin...who...Oh, god..." She took another heavy breath. "I just want to find him...make sure he's okay."

Carolyn felt a wave of guilt from her own selfishness. She remembered what her mother had gone through, before the divorce. Hank Landry had always been involved in some special project or classified mission. Growing up, she and her mother had resented the Air Force for taking him away from them so much. It wasn't until recently that Carolyn, now working on the same top secret project as her father, had begun to understand the purpose behind all the cloak and dagger.

Even 'being in the know,' it was hard watching those she cared for leave through the Stargate. When the Odyssey had missed its first scheduled check-in, the atmosphere in the Base had changed to one of concern, but everyone still went about their jobs. That was about the same time Laney had first called her, prying for information. Carolyn wasn't able to give her any answers.

By the time they had missed their second check-in, the mood had become more somber. Her own concern for Gwaine plagued her thoughts.

A few hours later, Bra'tac, a long-time Jaffa ally, came through the Gate with grim news about the battle.

When Bra'tac finally sent a subspace communication to Earth, they all feared the worst. Everyone kept themselves occupied, preparing...and hoping...to receive survivors. She had thought briefly about calling Laney, but without anything solid to report, she pushed it away.

Once the survivors did start coming through the Gate, everything was in a weird sort of organized chaos. There wasn't an idle person in the complex. It took a few days to get everyone and everything situated. She had assumed that Gwaine had called his sister during that time.

"Laney, he's fine." She finally said into the phone. "One second, I'll let you talk to him."

Laying her hand on Gwaine's shoulder, she shook him lightly.

He forced his eyes open, and smiled. "Mmm, I must be dreaming..." He whispered huskily. His face turned to a grimace, when she handed him the phone. "'ello?"

"God damnit, Gwaine. Where the hell have you been?"

"Shit, 'Lane...it's four o'clock in the freaking morning."

"...And I haven't heard from you in how long? Frack. I thought you'd been killed or something!"

He exhaled gruffly. "I'm sorry. Things just got a little complicated."

A pause in the conversation stretched out between them. Finally, when he almost thought that their call had been dropped, she spoke again. He could hear the emotion tearing up her voice. "When are you coming home?"

When I get my head on straight, he wanted to respond. The bed shifted underneath him. His eyes slid over to the bronze-skinned goddess, walking naked into the bathroom. The sensuous curve of her backside was silhouetted against the sudden glare from the bathroom light. She cast an inviting smile over her shoulder.

"Today. Give me a couple of hours?"

"Alright, it's not like I can go into work anyway. All three boys are down with something...and hell, I don't know. We need to sit down and have a serious talk when you get here."

He didn't relish the thought of talking to his sister at the moment. She didn't need to be burdened with his issues, but he knew her, almost as well as he knew himself. Elaine Dallon was not a woman to let sleeping dogs lie.

After promising her, that he would be home before nine, Gwaine rolled himself out of the bed. He had come to a few decisions during the night, as he and Carolyn had lain awake in each others arms talking softly. He surprised himself by how much he had opened up to her during their pillow talk.

The Marines, the Stargate Program...they weren't for him anymore. He felt out of place, no matter how much he tried to fit into the world he had left behind years earlier. Merlin was in serious condition, partly because Gwaine hadn't been informed, probably as a simple oversight, on the discoveries of his friend's condition.

Funnily enough, it was when Carolyn had commented on how sexy his hair had been, and he had laughed, cheekily agreeing it was pretty damn hot, that the scale had tipped.

It wasn't the hair, but the life it represented; memories of a knight in Camelot, carefree and adventurous. Those days were long gone. It had taken so long, and so much back and forth with indecision to realize where he belonged.

Now that he'd been reunited here in the future with those he cared for most, he knew the truth...his place was with them. He still didn't know how he was going to accomplish the seemingly impossible task, under his current obligations to the SGC, but he knew he needed to find a way.

Arthur had helped him out initially, providing a solution that seemed as if it would allow him to do both. In the end, however, the emotional distance between himself and his friends felt no less real than the miles that separated them.

Despite the worry he felt, he allowed himself to smile, and force the thoughts to the back of his mind. Something he hadn't been able to do for a long time now.

Gwaine heard the water for the shower running. What amazed him most, was Carolyn's acceptance of his decision. While it meant a possible separation, if it gave him the stability he needed to move past what Morgana had done to him, she was happy to support him. He just needed to figure out the logistics...like how he was going to make a living, and not leave his responsibilities to his family behind. That was going to be the kicker of his coming conversation with his sister.

He walked into the bathroom, and studied the blurred outlines of her body behind the shower curtain.

"Mmm...nobody to page you away here...and no invisible Cameron to walk in on us." He said, pulling the curtain aside. He graced her with his old trademark 'come hither' smile.

She giggled, and then paused, "Wait. What? Mitchell was...? Oh. My. God!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey brother, there's an endless road to re-discover._   
_Hey sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker._

_Hey brother, do you still believe in one another?_   
_Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?..._

_What if I'm far from home?_   
_Oh, brother I will hear you call._   
_What if I lose it all?_   
_Oh, sister I will help you out!_   
_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,_   
_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

_~Acicii "Hey Brother" (Gwaine's new theme song can be found /6Cp6mKbRTQY)_

* * *

"...The frack, Gwaine!" Laney all but screamed at her brother. "You're putting me in one hell of a position. I can't believe you! You have fought to be back there for months. You finally get a good team, and now you want to resign?"

"I thought you didn't want shit like this to happen again, where I can't call you if something happens? I figured you'd be all for me handing in my resignation!"

"I am." She conceded, taking a drag off her cigarette. He waited for her to explain what she meant. "I just don't know how we're going to survive if you do."

"What do you mean?"

"The district manager called me this morning. My performance is great, but due to all the absences, in the less than a year I've been working there, I've been offered a position that would, I quote: 'better suit my qualifications and needs schedule.' A part-time assistant manager in bum-frack Nebraska! What am I supposed to do?

"That job wouldn't pay shit! I'm out of a job...'laid off.'" She hooked her fingers in the air. "If I don't take it, I would have no pay coming in. There's not gonna be any more child support. Hell, there hasn't been for a while now. If you quit, what are you going to do? I doubt you could get a job to support all of us, and still be able to go off to the stars with your buddies, because I know that's what you really want to do."

She'd already explained to him what had happened with the boys' father. He found himself wrestling once again with issue of his own lot in life, and asking for handouts from friends was just something that neither he nor Laney were comfortable with. "We'll figure something out. I'll figure something out."

"I was so scared that something had happened...that you were gone again...like last time!"

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't call you right away. I needed to work out some issues that I didn't want to burden you with."

"I wish you would! Dad, mom, my ex-husband, Boyd, you...I can't do it Gwaine. I can't lose anyone else. This stress, not knowing if you were alive or dead...Now, not knowing how we're going to survive!"

"Fine. I won't resign, yet. I'll ask to be transferred to a desk or something. It'll be a little bit of a pay cut, but we'll survive off it, until you get something else." His plans were shot to hell. Something needed to be done about this Morgana/Orici situation, but he had to admit, he wasn't Bruce Wayne. This wasn't some fantasy, superhero novel, where he could just run off and play hero to the galaxy. That lifestyle didn't pay the bills and wouldn't put food on the table. He had promised her that family was his priority now, and he needed to prove it to her; damn whatever else was going on.

Part of him warred against the idea. What good was putting food on the table if the Ori won?

She put out her smoke in the ashtray on the porch. Swiping her sleeve across her face to clear away the tears, she turned to go inside. "I need a drink."

"Pour one for me." He said. Gwaine stood on the porch for a moment, after she had left. He felt a cold wind began to sweep down from the north. In Colorado the temperature changed quickly, and the sunny, seventy degree, spring weather could turn into a roaring blizzard in less than a day. It seemed to perfectly mimic his own day; waking up to an amazing piece of island sunshine...the calm before the storm.

On the plus side, it would mean he'd have more time to be with Carolyn; even if it silently killed him to think of staying on the sidelines of the oncoming tempest. Falling asleep next to her had been the first night since his return to the twenty-first century, that Gwaine had really slept. Normally, he would lie awake for hours, or become started out of his restless slumber by some faceless nightmare. He had only gotten through it all by using a prescription, a drink, or complete physical exhaustion to achieve even a hint of shut-eye.

Although, if he really thought about it, the previous night had been a bit exhausting...and it certainly had been physical.

* * *

Carolyn sat, nursing a cup of coffee. Her car was parked out in front of the house, after having driven Gwaine home. It was, surprisingly, her first time there, and Laney had offered her the cup to thank her for bringing her brother. The Beast had refused to start. Gwaine had mentioned he thought it was the starter in the ageing vehicle. Currently, it was still in the parking lot at the Base.

When the argument between the siblings had started, Laney had grabbed her pack of cigarettes and headed for the front porch. Not wanting to interrupt, by trying to get around them, Carolyn stayed in the kitchen to politely wait. She was just finishing a text to a colleague, who had taken over the shift of Base physician, when the sound of a beaming device caused her to jump.

The two men who appeared seemed just as startled to see her, as she was them. One she didn't recognize, the other she did, and she smiled pleasantly at the large man.

"Percival! It's been a while." She said, recovering from her surprise. "How are you?"

"Dr. Lam. It's good to see you...uh..."

"They're out on the front porch...discussing things." She explained, watching his eyes wander curiously around the room. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh. This is Sir Leon. Leon, this is Dr. Carolyn Lam."

"Ah, the infamous Dr. Lam. I've heard a lot about you."

"...And you are the heroic knight in the shining Tel'tak, I've been hearing about. You helped save a lot of people out there."

He blushed and ducked his head slightly. "I wish I could have done more."

"It doesn't sound like anyone really could have."

"'Anyone really could have,' what?" Laney asked, coming back into the kitchen. She moved to the cabinet above the refrigerator, and pulled down a bottle.

"It's classified. I'm sorry." Carolyn held out her hands in apology.

"Yeah...whatever." Laney poured two glasses and held one out to Gwaine, as he came in a few seconds later.

"Where are the boys?" He asked his sister. He nodded a greeting to Leon and Percival.

"Upstairs...either sleeping or on their games."

Carolyn reached out to take Gwaine's hand. The confident air he had earlier, seemed to have vanished, and the despair from the night before had returned. It hurt to see him so resigned, as if nothing he had done made a difference.

Her incoming email alert on her phone broke the awkward silence that had gathered.

Taking her hand back she opened the file and began reading it. "Huh. Dr. Roberts, who took over for me yesterday, just sent me an update." She began paraphrasing the report. "Due to constant stability shown through the night, Colonel Emrys was transferred to a nearby hospital this morning, where he...ooh!...Where he regained consciousness."

Everyone released a breath of relief, upon hearing the news.

"Any further updates will have to come from the attending doctor at the hospital." She held up her coffee cup in a toast. "Here's to getting some good news."

Gwaine set his glass on the counter after taking a small sip.

Leon gasped in mock horror. "Sir Gwaine...putting his drink aside? I never thought I'd see the day!"

Laughing, Gwaine shook his head. "Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"You should probably go see him. I know you want to." Laney said, with her back towards the rest of them. Her voice trembled with inner turmoil.

Just like that, Gwaine's mood sobered again. "You should come with me. I know Martha would probably love to see you."

"Oh, yeah, and who am I supposed to get on such short notice to watch three sick kids? Toby can take care of himself, but he's been the sickest. I can't ask him to watch his brothers." She snapped out.

"I'll stay." Percival offered, without being asked, "They're good kids, and they know me."

"Good! It's settled." Gwaine said, clapping his hands together, and throwing his friend a grateful smile. "I'll ride with Carolyn, and Leon can ride with you."

"Why the hell don't you ride with me...Don't care to finish our discussion?"

"I need to talk with Carolyn about some of the...uh...things that happened. I know, I know." He held up his hand complacently. "You signed the paperwork and all that jazz, but there're still a lot of things that are classified."

"What the frack is that supposed to mean?" She spun away from the counter, to glare at her brother.

"I'll be out in the car, waiting." Carolyn said, making a quick exit. Deniability was a wonderful things at times.

Gwaine waited until she had gone through the door. "Laney, I can't tell you what happened out there."

"Don't you think I know that?" She started to rant.

Grabbing her shoulders gently, Gwaine forced her to look him in the eyes. Using her proper name to get her full attention, he said quietly. "Elaine.  _I_  can't tell you. Under my contract, I could be brought up on Court Martial if _I_  did." He emphasized. His brown eyes slid over to Leon, meaningfully, and he gave a slight nod of his head for extra measure.

Leon snorted softly, catching onto his friend's double meaning. He smiled at Laney.

"Fine." She said softly in agreement, understanding what her brother was implying. Leon was not bound by any of the regulations Gwaine was, when it came to confidentiality.

* * *

"Pull over." Leon said, when they had gone beyond sight of the house.

"What? I thought we were..."

"Just pull over, Elaine. I'm not going to tell you about what happened, while you're driving."

She did as he requested, and stopped in the pull-out to one of the many oil wells, that dotted the eastern plains of Colorado. The pumps for the wells were set in the middle of fields, with a single-lane, mud road leading out to them. Laney had always thought they looked like humongous, black, metal ants; their heads bobbing up and down, as they worked to pull out whatever was at the bottom of the pipes.

Snickering softly, she recalled one episode of her brother's when he was younger. He and his friends...a bit drunk...had decided to go out in the middle of the night, and try to ride one of them. They, thankfully, were only caught by the rancher who owned the field, and had to work for him for a few days in exchange for not having the local police called in.

Leon stared at his hands in his lap for some time.

"Look, if you're not going to tell me..."

"It was Hell." He stated quietly. His voiced sounded old and tired, a reflection of all that he had been through.

For Leon to call what happened out there 'hell' meant that it was worse than she had imagined. She noticed for the first time, the way his eyes glistened. It scared her. This show of emotion from a man who usually seemed to have none, worried her.

He shifted in the seat, turning towards her, his eyes still downcast, as he contemplated how much to tell her. "It was a battle...no...a slaughter. Those of us who survived, only managed to do so through luck, or because they wanted us to. I've seen wars, battlefields soaked with blood, and heard the sounds of men dying all my life. This was...different.

"There are no screams in space. The explosions in your boys' games when a spaceship is destroyed, are just special effects. The only sounds you can hear are things inside your own confined pocket of reality, protecting you from the nothingness beyond."

Leon didn't give her many details after that. He explained simply that they didn't know Gwaine wasn't with Arthur and Merlin, when the Tau'ri had ship arrived and then departed shortly after, from the planet. He mentioned their arrival at the battlefront, and damage to his ship; saving Arthur in the nick of time, and with no sign of Merlin.

"It took a few hours, but we finally were able to receive messages. We could hear Merlin, Gwaine, Mitchell, and others talking. We heard them going back and forth with Colonel Carter. She was in a spacesuit, floating outside of everything. Their beaming capabilities were down. I was working on fixing my own. Arthur was fuming when he heard that Merlin was going to try and use his magic.

"Gwaine didn't know to stop him. I managed to get the beam working, but not in time to stop Merlin. We heard his scream through the coms."

"Oh, god." She whispered, speechless upon hearing this. Laney was grateful that he had insisted that she stopped the car.

Leon cleared his throat and shifted in his seat again. "We were able to bring Colonel Carter aboard. After that, it has mostly been recovery, and trying to get survivors home." He guffawed suddenly, and picked at the edge of the window, flicking his nail under the weather stripping. "Witnessing all that, certainly makes a man want to re-evaluate his life."

He reached out and took her hand, brushing his thumb across the back of it. They were weathered and sported small scars from years of hard work and living. Chipped polish and chewed ends told the tale of her worries over the past couple of weeks. He felt guilty about having avoided her, since Gwaine had caught them. Initially, he had brushed off his friend's comment about Laney possibly breaking his heart. He hadn't felt like he had a heart left, up until that point. His reluctance to return to her after that seemed to be a failed effort at proving he didn't care.

Percival's words about helping Arthur, and the rush Leon had felt from helping those after the battle, had ignited a deeply buried chord of passion inside of him. Leon looked up, catching her eyes. He smiled and opened his mouth to tell her.

Laney seemed to sense the shift in conversation. Her eyes darted away. She pulled her hand out of his and wiped furiously at her face. "We should probably get to the hospital." Putting the car in gear, she pulled back out onto the road; swerving to avoid a pothole...and an awkward conversation.

* * *

Gwaine adjusted his sunglasses, as he stepped out of the car. Carolyn was already heading into the hospital, while he leaned against the front fender, as his sister's car pulled into the spot next to him.

The tension and emotional turmoil was written all over her face. He knew for certain that Leon had told her about the battle that had transpired. Silently, he reached out for her the moment her car door shut, and pulled her into an embrace.

She clung to him, as if her life depended on it. After a few moments, he pulled back. "We'll talk more later, okay?"

Nodding mutely, she let him lead her into the hospital.

* * *

The windows of the hospital room were covered with thick, blackout drapes. One sliver of sunlight from a small gap between the two curtains escaped, and left a bright beam across the bed, in the otherwise dimly lit room. Martha fussed around Merlin's bedside, rechecking his vital signs every few seconds, until Merlin thought he was going to go mad. If he had the strength to move, or even argue, he would have. He longed for some peace and quiet, to analyze his dreams.

Even though he was grateful to be alive, he had little memory of what had happened in the hours leading up to his unconscious state. His last clear memory was standing on the bridge of the Korolev, relaying the translation of the Ori message. After that, there were blurs and flashes...of life and dreams...mixed together in some abstract vision of reality.

His responses to enquiries about how he was feeling, were short and snippy. He wanted to feel bad about being an 'old grouch,' as Arthur was referring to him, but he couldn't seem to find the energy to care.

Arthur snickered from a seat under the television mounted in the upper corner of the room. Dr. Lam had come in briefly, before disappearing to speak with the attending physician about Merlin's case. Never a fan of hospitals, Laney had offered to go get everyone something to drink. She was uptight and nervous. Merlin was silently grateful that she had left the room. Her tension was palpable in the air surrounding her.

Leon and Gwaine leaned casually against a wall. The former seeming tired, but pleasant enough. The latter...barely glanced at Merlin. The man's inner thoughts pre-occupying the present situation. Merlin had been told that Gwaine was the one with him, when he had collapsed.

Merlin reached out weakly for his wife's hand. Martha smiled encouragingly. "Martha..." He whispered in a hoarse voice. "I need to speak with Gwaine, alone."

She looked about to argue, not wanting to leave his side, but an urging glance from the others in the room, changed her mind. "Alright, then. I'll give you a few minutes of reprieve. I guess, I have been hovering a bit much, haven't I?"

He tried to smile, but it failed to fully appear.

Gwaine pushed off the wall, as the others left. "Twisted deja vu, eh?"

"You could say that." He waited until Gwaine had situated himself close to the bed. "I'm sorry, I put you through that."

Gwaine chuckled, "Now, don't you go and be like that; never thinking of anyone, but yourself." He rolled his eyes, jokingly. Merlin was the most selfless man he had ever met. Even now, as he laid in a bed, barely awake after days spent in a coma, he was apologizing for making someone else's life difficult.

"Perhaps." Merlin said, understanding the joke, but not finding much humor at the moment. "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything. You know that."

"Remember, ages ago..." His breath wheezed a bit. "Well, ages for me... When I asked you to help me get to the Valley of Fallen Kings?"

Gwaine nodded.

"I need to get there again."

"Shit." Gwaine sat back in the chair and looked away. Of all the things Merlin could have asked..."I don't have much leave left, and it's not like I can quit my job right now. Laney and the boys need me."

Merlin stared at his friend, visibly shocked that after saying he would do anything, Gwaine would flip-flop and make excuses to deny him.

"I want to, Merlin. I really do, but I don't know how I can. Aside from the fact you're in no position to hijack a plane and fly us there. I'm sure Leon could..."

"I'm sure he could, as well. I need you, though. You know where it is."

"I can't. Not right now." The decision he had made the night before, in Carolyn's arms...a woman he finally allowed himself to open up to...had come crashing down with a dose of reality that morning, with his sister and her situation.

"What do you mean?"

Gwaine hesitated. He didn't want to burden his best friend. "We can talk about it when you're better."

Merlin closed his eyes. The soft hum of the nearby monitors filled the otherwise quiet space. "I might not be getting better, Gwaine. Something is happening to me...happening to Aithusa...faster than I had anticipated." One of the images began to make itself clearer in his mind. "When I tried to reach out to Colonel Carter...I felt Aithusa. He was there, Gwaine, on the other side of that wormhole, and he was in pain...such pain..." Merlin's hand went instinctively to his chest, and he clutched the front of the hospital gown.

Gwaine's lips were a tight line under the unshaven scruff. He didn't know quite how to handle what his friend was telling him. Feeling that there was more to the story, he prodded, "You never got a chance to tell me what happened with the Nox."

"I guess I didn't, did I?" Gwaine shook his head. After another moment of silence, Merlin told him some of what he had learned, not just from the Nox, but also the pixie.

"Are you telling me, the dragon took off for the stars centuries ago, with Morgana's body?"

Merlin nodded, "...But, Morgana was dead."

"Yes, but, if these assholes were able to genetically bind the souls of humans and dragons hundreds of thousands...or even millions of years ago..."

Merlin's eyes narrowed at his friend. "I don't understand..."

"When it rains, it bloody well pours." Leaning forward and placing his elbows on the bed, Gwaine linked his hands behind his head. "Fracking hell. It all makes sense now. Okay. So, this whole thing started with Aithusa leaving Earth, right?"

Nodding his head, Merlin waited.

"Traveling through the stars for centuries, looking for the Ori. Last year, after a weird fluke with technology, when SG-1...Daniel Jackson specifically...stumbled across the Ancient Communication Device, these Ori found out about our galaxy, and started sending their Priors through the Gates here. You were fine then, despite whatever else was going on. When Percival and I arrived here...you were fine. Hell, you were better than fine. You were happy, getting married...excited...I'd never seen you so confident and full of life.

"What if that was when they found your dragon...who, even after centuries...was still clinging to the hope that he could save Morgana? If they played on that, they could have easily tricked him. With their advancements, then they sure as hell could have taken a magically preserved body, and perverted it for their own means."

Merlin felt his heart beating rapidly inside his chest. The nearby monitor visually reflected the increase. He tried to calm himself, but in his current state, it seemed to do little good. "Are you saying...Morgana is...?"

"...Back? Yeah." Gwaine stood up. The chair he had been sitting in slid backwards, scraping against the floor like nails on a chalkboard.

Gwaine began pacing and explaining with exaggerated motions about the vision, his decision, and how it was thwarted by the more pressing concerns of his family. He recounted what he had overheard about this Orici. He vented his frustrations; from Laney's former husband, to the loss of her job. He admitted his desire to quit the US Military, but without an income, he'd be putting his sister and the boys in dire straits.

Merlin chuckled softly.

"What's so funny?"

"Is that all that's holding you here?"

Glaring at his friend, he wasn't sure if Merlin quite understood. "They're my family. I can't let them down."

"Gwaine...you and your sister are family.  _My_  family." Merlin's mind drifted to the images of Blasine and Gawain. Their relationship to each other mirrored that of Laney and Gwaine's in an uncanny way. "Mithian would roll over in her grave if I didn't do something. Let me help you. If anything, for all the times you've helped me."

He was beginning to feel the strain of the continued conversation. "Arthur...the princely prat of all cabbage heads...was threatening me this morning...Says, he plans to hire a babysitter for me. He also mentioned finding someone to help Gwen out, specifically, once the new baby is born. Gwaine, how much would it take, to hire you?"

"You want me to be a nursemaid for Gwen?" Gwaine's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of your sister to help Gwen...and I probably could use some sort of...let's call it a personal assistant. I'd pay moving expenses. I have a lawyer who would love to make sure the boys' father has no say, except for what your sister decides."

Gwaine's face brightened into a wide smile as the pieces came together. He shook his head in disbelief and whistled through his teeth.

* * *

Gwaine exited the room to see the faces of his friends and his sister, staring at him intently. He moved over to Laney and took her hands. "Good news. Bad news."

She braced herself and nodded.

"Bad news: I can't work for the military anymore, and so we should probably sell the house and start packing."

Laney looked like she was ready to burst. He put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from acting out.

"Good news, though: I've just been offered a job...some sort of lackey/personal assistant bullshit. But, I was promised...I don't need to know how to type or anything for it. The only catch is it's based out of the UK. You always wanted to move back to England, right?"

She nodded quickly and pinched her lips together, trying desperately not to interrupt. Although, the buildup of suspense by her brother was killing her. Ever since their mother died, and they had been shipped off to Wyoming when she was in her early teens, Laney had often talked about going back. Partially, it was to be near their mother's grave, but also because it was the only place she had ever felt truly at home. Circumstances had never allowed for such a move before.

"Well..." Gwaine continued, "...we're moving in with Grandpa, and mooching off him for a while."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter...just FYI... was too much fun to write. I managed to include something I...to this day...have avoided in pretty much any other Merlin fic I haven't written. One of the most classic of all Merlin cliches. Reviews buy food for muses that (like my tubby dogs) think they're starving!

Martha smiled and reached out for her friend's hand. "This is going to be wonderful!"

It had taken Laney barely a second, to realize what Gwaine meant. They were moving...to Camelot. She looked at Arthur, who was nodding his head in acceptance of the idea. Gwaine was smiling nervously at her, waiting for her to say something. She avoided Leon's eyes, altogether. The last thing she needed was for him to get all emotional on her. She had enough of her own shit to still deal with. "The boys are going to freak out." Laney finally said breathlessly.

"...But, I think it will be better in the long run, right? We'll be with family, and he said you could be there to help Gwen out with Aurie and the new baby." He was still afraid she might say 'no,' and it showed in Gwaine's face.

Arthur scoffed, "That's all I need...my son learning some new, colorful words."

"Frack you, too, Princess." Laney shot off with a smile.

The former king laughed, not put off by her comment. He gave her a teasing wink.

"So...am I allowed to go back in and see my husband now?" Martha asked Gwaine. She was ready to go back in anyway, with or without his permission.

"Yeah. Take this one with you, please." He hooked his thumb at his sister.

Martha linked her arm through Laney's, and the two of them entered the room, leaving the door open behind them. She moved to the bed and found that Merlin had fallen into an exhausted sleep. By her side, Laney glanced back toward the door.

Following her friend's gaze, Martha's eyes narrowed, "They're up to something, you know."

"No shit."

* * *

The three men huddled together in the hallway, just outside their friend's door.

Taking a breath, Gwaine leaned in conspiratorially. "I need to get Merlin somewhere...specific request from my new boss, type of thing."

"Where?" Arthur asked with concern. It was obvious to him, that Merlin wasn't in a state to be moved anywhere.

"Valley of the Fallen Kings."

"What?"

"Trust me on this." Gwaine held out his hands, attempting to forestall the many questions that flitted through Arthur's eyes. "I know what he needs and why...Problem is in the logistics."

"I can beam you both into the area, easily enough." Leon offered.

Arthur asked, "Are you going to stay with him? It isn't like he can fend for himself right now."

"I can't, and he understands that." He glanced away, thoughts of Morgana's threat plaguing his mind. "Arthur, there's some more stuff you need to know, and I think we should keep General Landry in the loop on this. So, you need to be here."

A heated glare was Arthur's only response. He hadn't seen his wife and son since returning to the planet. Between that, and the idea of leaving his friend vulnerable in a place where they had always seen so much trouble, didn't sit well with him.

"I need to get back here to finalize some things, after I drop him off." Gwaine told Leon. "...But, I do agree we need to have someone stay with Merlin."

"What about Martha?" Arthur offered, as the first obvious suggestion.

The three men, as one, leaned over and looked into the room. Martha was still uncharacteristically hovering. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been acting like this, but something about nearly losing her supposedly immortal husband, had her on a mothering overdrive.

"Naw." They agreed, simultaneously.

"He's gonna need some peace and quiet. Just someone to let him do his thing, ya know?"

They studied the floor and the walls around them in thought. Arthur snorted, "I know the perfect person."

"Who?" Leon asked, but soon enough he understood who his king was thinking of.

Gwaine must have realized it, too.

"Mickey." They said together.

"Brilliant." Gwaine was grinning, and there was a light in his eyes that neither Arthur nor Leon had really seen since their reunion. "I'll call him...try and give him directions to the opening of the Valley. We won't be able to beam in there directly."

Leon appeared confused, "Why not?"

Smirking, and thinking about what Merlin had told him, Gwaine responded, "Something about alien technology, and booby traps."

There was much more to the story than Gwaine was letting on, but under the circumstances, Arthur's only other choice was to watch his best friend hopefully recover, or more than likely, waste away in the hospital bed. "What about the doctors here? How do we explain his sudden disappearance?"

"I've got an idea for that." Gwaine's eyes were lit with mischief.

"Alright, I'll have Percival call Mickey instead. He is much better at giving directions than you have ever been. Leon, go prep your ship. Get them as close to the coordinates as possible. I'll try and distract Martha, but she may become suspicious anyway. Gwaine, you work your angle to cover his escape."

"Mmm...and what an angle it is." Carolyn was speaking with the attending physician at a desk down the hall. The tight, blue denim outlined the curves of her hips and legs tantalizingly. His eyes twinkled and he bit his lip, shifting his head to the side...just enough to remind the others of the man they used to know.

"He's ba...ack." Leon muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes.

Arthur bit down a chuckle. It was good to see the old Gwaine emerging from the somber shadows once more. "Once Mickey is in position, we'll do this."

"I'll get them set up over there, and you can beam back here before morning." Gwaine looked at Leon for confirmation.

The older knight nodded. It felt good to be a part of something with these men. He knew now, a good part of what had been missing from the last fourteen centuries of his life.

* * *

Carolyn's eyes darted down the wide corridor from the Nurse's Station, toward Merlin's door. Three men stood just outside of it, whispering conspiratorially. The one brown-eyed man, the shortest of the three, looked her way, as if he felt her eyes on him. Her brow furrowed, attempting to figure out what he was up to.

The corner of his mouth lifted, and his gaze wandered appreciatively over her body. If any other man had looked at her like that, she might have taken issue, but after last night...Well, he knew exactly what was under her snug-fitting clothes.

Turning back to the desk, she finished signing off a form, allowing her to share some of Merlin's records. She walked cautiously toward the men. Gwaine broke off from the other two, and met her a few steps away from them. His arm snaked around her back, and she felt his hand push down into her back pocket.

"Take a walk with me, gorgeous?"

Carolyn looked at him like he'd sprouted a second head before uttering, "Okay..."

He began leading her away, his hand still shamelessly cupping her bottom. Chuckling and wondering what he was up to, she walked with him; her own arm wrapping around his waist. She heard Arthur cough a warning at his knight's brazen hold on her backside. In a sudden, bold move...feeling like a rebellious teenager...she stuffed her own hand into Gwaine's back pocket, as they walked away; leaving the modest man from the sixth century sputtering about the scandalous attitudes of the twenty-first century.

* * *

Once they were out of sight, Arthur shook his head and turned back to Leon. "How long would it take to get to that planet we were on?"

"Day and a half, Sire."

"We left Merlin's backpack there. It has a book in it, that I need to retrieve."

Leon nodded, "There was a Mothership that had arrived in orbit, just after you and Merlin left in the Tau'ri ship. I don't know whose it was."

"Hmm, perhaps General Landry would know. He has requested an audience with us all, Percival included. I have a feeling they are going to be asking about my sword."

"Why would they ask about that?"

"Some idiot slipped up. I don't know if it was intentional or due to his exhaustion, since he had just used his magic to get us into the library in that village."

Leon chuckled softly and shook his head. "Merlin never does anything without a purpose, even if he isn't fully aware of it" He hated to think he'd kept the sword safe for so long, only to have it scrutinized by scientists who didn't have a clue.

"I know." Arthur admitted. He still couldn't see the reasoning behind the warlock explaining the sword to Mitchell, who had already known of its existence, or more to the point, why he would have let Dr. Jackson know. "That's what worries me."

* * *

"Bloody hell! You look like death warmed over, Merlin. What the hell happened to you lot out there?" Mickey exclaimed once the beam faded. He rushed to help Gwaine catch Merlin, before the warlock fell onto the moss-covered ground.

Mickey had been sitting and waiting for at least an hour. He knew because he had been checking his watch, and the clock on the phone, every five minutes since he had arrived. He grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled it over his shoulder, mimicking Gwaine's hold on the other side of the warlock.

"Jack said there was word out in the galaxy about a battle...Don't suppose that has anything to do with your condition, now does it?"

Merlin tried to chuckle, but it turned into a cough that emanated from deep inside his chest. His face, always pale, was nearly ash; the blue eyes clouding over, as if all of his age had suddenly descended upon him. He gasped for breath, feeling a wetness in his lungs, as if a sickness had been brewing for some time.

Gwaine shook his head. He refused to think that they had come this far, just for him to lose his best friend.

"Hold on, Merlin." He placed a firm hand on Merlin's chest, feeling the shallowness of each breath. He hoped he wasn't wrong in helping his friend. A part of him wondered if Merlin would have been better off, left in the hospital, but it was too late now for second guessing. "We'll get you to the cave."

Mickey pulled a stretcher board from the back of a nearby utility quad, that he'd used to drive out to the area. It was a hybrid between an all-terrain-vehicle and a golf cart. There were three full backpacks of provisions sitting on the passenger seat, as well as a rifle case with an assortment of weapons in the back.

Once Merlin was secured, they geared up. Each carried a backpack, and they tied the third one to the board near Merlin's feet. The three men began making their way toward the passage that marked the entrance into the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

"What the hell are those?" Mickey asked, as they moved along through the thick forest.

Gwaine looked up. "Those were once statues of the kings who, I think, were buried here. That was long before even Merlin's time, though."

"Gwaine..." Merlin whispered breathlessly. "Watch out for bandits."

"I doubt if there have been any bandits here for years."

"No...they're still here."

Gwaine thought about arguing, but decided it was better not to waste Merlin's faltering energy in a pointless debate.

It had been easier than Gwaine had anticipated, to get Merlin out of the hospital. As Merlin's doctor, Carolyn was initially against the idea of moving him. Gwaine had explained to her that Merlin was sort of connected to the land near Camelot, without going into details about the cave that held the crystals, and the Stargate that had thrown Gwaine into the past.

The SGC had known it was there...at least it had been, back in the sixth century. Since his return, he'd kept tabs on their information, and it seemed the place had disappeared without a trace sometime between then and now. Gwaine's suspicions were recently confirmed with Merlin's admission of using his magic to hide the area.

All he had to do, to enlist his girlfriend's help, was promise her a full explanation...and a date to see some crappy, romantic comedy with her upon his return. Laney had unwittingly helped as well, in their effort to get Merlin out of the sterile, cold hospital room. His sister was going to kick his ass later - of that, he had no doubt.

Leon had tried to approach her, apologizing for something; Gwaine didn't have a clue what. Laney gave the tall knight the cold shoulder, and Gwaine had just rolled his eyes. He had predicted the coming awkwardness, but had hoped that the two's relationship...or whatever they were calling it...would have held out at least a little bit longer.

On the next of her frequent smoke breaks, Laney had convinced Martha to accompany her; wanting to have a bit of girl talk. Martha had reluctantly gone with her friend. It was obvious Martha didn't trust the guys, but she had felt safe leaving Merlin for a few moments, as Carolyn was still nearby. She had faith that her fellow doctor would not allow the boys to enact whatever plan they had hatched, under her nose.

It was perfect timing on Mickey's part, as he had called from his position in the forest, just after the two ladies walked out. After a quick goodbye kiss from Gwaine, Carolyn had quickly unhooked Merlin from the leads and IVs. Gwaine had hauled his friend out of the bed, while Arthur stood guard at the door, and then Leon had beamed himself, Gwaine and Merlin to his ship. Not long afterward, they were beamed down and getting antagonized by Mickey, who was wondering what the hell was going on.

Everything was going smoothly...too smoothly...and the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly began to prickle. Merlin's apparent delirium-induced words finally began to make sense. If the cave that held the Stargate that he had passed through, was somehow linked to all the other nonsense they had been dealing with, then the idea presented might not have been as far-fetched as Gwaine initially believed. It had technically been centuries since he had been here, and these woods had always been infested by roving bands of...

His eyes widened. At least a dozen bandits, dressed for the Dark Ages...like some sort of weird medieval reenactment...swarmed out of the trees toward them.

"Aw, shit."


	5. Chapter 5

Gun shots rang out through the valley, as Mickey laid down cover fire. "The bullets aren't touching them!" He shouted.

Hearing Mickey's words, Gwaine recalled Mitchell and the others discussing how their bullets passed right through the hologram of the Black Knight. He threw aside his firearm and drew his tactical knife. With only the seven inch blade, he used every ounce of his training from both time periods to fend off the bandits. Rolling under the wide sword swing of a scruffy-looking man, he came up behind the enemy and stabbed.

The bandit fell to the ground with a scream. "Use a blade!" He hollered at Mickey.

The darker man scowled, as another bandit moved towards him. As of yet, he was unwilling to give up his firearm, a weapon similar to the P-90's used by the Stargate Program. Instead, he used the butt of the gun, and slammed it into his assailant's face. "Yeah, man! Clubbing them over the head works, too!"

Gwaine grinned in understanding. It seemed these bandits didn't have the same immunity to mundane weapons as the holographic knight that Mitchell and Arthur had faced.

"Gwaine!" Like an echo of the past, the scream of his best friend pulled his attention away from the bandits in front of him. He spun to see a large ruddy fellow with very few teeth, standing menacingly over Merlin's frail form.

Gwaine managed to shove aside another bandit who had come upon him. He rushed towards the ugly man, towering over Merlin, just as the villain's sword rose. In a flash, Gwaine vaulted off a boulder and landed on the bandit's back, his knife catching the man under the chin.

With a realistic gurgling sound, the bandit's sword dropped, and he fell to the ground. Others, upon seeing the largest of their companions fall, began to flee into the forest. For perhaps the first time, Gwaine noticed how little blood there was on the ground, around the few bandits that had fallen. He shook his head at the realization. Gwaine knelt down to check his friend over. "You alright?"

Merlin closed his eyes and nodded.

"So, I don't get it. If these guys are holograms, like the Black Knight was, why do they run away?" Gwaine asked, his eyes scanning the nearly invisible trails left by their enemies flight.

Mickey snorted, "It's a classic video game mob programming. You bring the enemy down in health to a certain point, or you do something to cause their morale to drop...they automatically retreat."

Gwaine fell back on his ass, chuckling. It all made too much sense. The thieves and rogues in this area of the kingdom had always seemed like an oddity...at least the ones who had thrived there, when Morgana's goons weren't skulking around.

Cracking one eye open, Merlin evaluated the younger men. "They'll be back with more." He commented, in a breathy whisper.

"Well, yeah." Mickey agreed, as if he knew more about the situation than either Merlin or Gwaine. "That's how those games work. They retreat. Pull more mobs, come back to the same spot, and try again. Which, if this is programmed the same way, we should probably get moving so we're outside of their agro range when they come back."

"Agro range?" Gwaine asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Mobs?" Merlin asked, giving Mickey a similar look of confusion.

Mickey blinked, and thought about how to respond, "'Mobs' are the creatures you fight in the games. 'Agro range' is how far away they can sense or see you before they attack. So..." He moved over to Merlin's stretcher and waited for Gwaine to do the same. "We need to move away from this area before they come back."

"I don't think we can make it to cave before dark." Gwaine said, lifting Merlin up from the other side. "We should probably find a place to make camp soon, and then continue on at first light."

* * *

The staccato rhythm of Arthur's heel tapping against the floor, while his knee bounced anxiously, was grating on her nerves.

After a few intense moments at the hospital, where Martha had threatened both Arthur and Leon with an invitation for an extended stay of their own, Laney had decided they should all adjourn to her house to discuss things in a more private setting. Martha had glared over her shoulder at Dr. Lam, for helping to facilitate her husband's abduction from the hospital; while Laney had ushered them to the car, leaving Carolyn to deal with the hospital staff on her own.

The ride back to the house was extremely uncomfortable.

Martha was fuming silently, as was Laney. The two men were stuck in the backseat, with two booster seats stacked between them, and unknown food substances sticking to their trousers.

At the house, Percival began to question their return. Arthur held up his hand, indicating that he would fill the large knight in later. He now sat on the couch, sandwiched by his two largest knights, and the former king felt like a child under the glare of his best friend's wife.

"Well?" She finally demanded, turning her gaze upon Leon. "Are you going to take me to my husband, or bring him back here? Of all the stupid things...What were you thinking...letting Gwaine take him?"

Leon's mustache twitched, his eyes shifted sideways.

"Don't you  _even_  look at him for an answer!"

Arthur stood suddenly. "Alright. Let's go. If we move quick enough, we can catch up to them easily."

"Excuse me?" Martha was stunned by the sudden change of mind by the former king. "Are you saying you were wrong in your decision?"

"...Only so far as letting Gwaine go with him alone, even if he was planning to meet Mickey." He nodded at Leon, signaling his intention. "Lady Elaine, thank you for your hospitality once again." Arthur gave Laney a full smile, and nodded his head at her.

She rolled her eyes. Offering him a tight-lipped smile, Laney waved a futile goodbye as the beam took the king, his knights, and Martha.

Walking into the kitchen, she found her coat, and started to pull it on; planning to make her way outside. "Sure, just leave me by myself to hold down the fort...and try to explain to three kids why we're going to be moving...AGAIN! Mother fracking hell!" She heard a chuckle and spun around to see her oldest son standing in the doorway. "I mean...Mother flipping...Oh, damn it..."

Toby snickered at his mother's attempt to cover her cursing. "Mom, I'm almost fourteen. I've heard it all before...mostly from you."

"Well, shit." Laney snorted and shook her head, as she hung her coat back on the chair. It was hard to remember sometimes that her first baby was now a teenager.

"We're moving?" Toby finally asked. He looked around the room in confusion. "Where did everybody go?"

Laney sighed. She went to her cupboard and pulled out a bottle. "I may as well go ahead and tell ya. Sit down.

"Your dad..." She paused, attempting to find the right words. The man was an ass, but she wasn't about to call him that in front of her boys. When they were old enough, they could make up their own minds.

"...Is a jerk and he ran off to Thailand."

Laney's brown eyes narrowed, " _She_  told me Mexico..."

"I saw the boarding pass on his phone. He was going to Thailand. I guess...he hasn't paid anything in a while either, huh?"

She shook her head sadly. "Plus side: I've got the number of a lawyer who's going to be able to make sure he can't come back for anything...unless, you kids want to see him"

Toby gave his mom a smile of understanding. He shook his head, indicating that he currently had no desire to see his dad. "So, where are we moving?"

"Home..." She said softly. "...The place I think of as home, that I haven't seen since I was about your age."

"You mean England?" His eyes widened and his jaw nearly hit the table. "Seriously?!"

"There's a lot of stuff you boys are gonna have to find out about..."

"...Like Uncle Gwaine being the  _real_  Sir Gwaine, and the other guys are all out of some weird portal from a different time?" He said with a smirk.

Laney stared at her son. She started to wonder how many conversations over the past months he had overheard. "You're too much of a smart ass for your own good."

"I learned from the best."

"Ha!" She finally poured herself a glass of the liquor. She turned to him. "Want a drink?"

"Mom...I'm thirteen."

"Right. Good boy."

Toby sat back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. After a moment, he sat forward, leaning his elbows on the table. "Mom...we need to talk about your friend."

"What 'friend?'" Her eyebrows pinched together above her nose.

"Mr. Leon."

She held her breath, but tried to appear casual about the subject. She had been extremely careful to not do anything with him when the boys were home. When Gwaine was home, Leon and Percival would come around and hang out, or go riding in the fields. Laney didn't think her kids had noticed anything, but now, it was obvious Toby was a bit more observant than she had imagined.

"I like him, Mom." He said, standing up from the table. The teenager made his way over to the refrigerator, and pulled out a soda. He tapped on the top of the can absently. "He makes you smile in a way Dad never did."

* * *

"They definitely came through here recently." Percival said, examining the ground. "It looks like there was a fight."

"A fight with what?" Martha asked, swinging her torch around the forested area. She had an arm wrapped around her midriff, trying to keep the fluttering nervousness she felt at bay. It had been nearly dark, when Leon had beamed them down to the same area that he had, just a few hours earlier, sent Gwaine and Merlin. It took them less than an hour to reach the place of a recent fight.

"Bandits?" Percival asked more to himself.

"By all accounts, there are no such things as bandits roving the forests anymore." Arthur commented. His eyes scanned the trees, searching for an explanation. His sword was in one hand, and a battery-powered flashlight in the other.

Leon crouched down to study the branches. "It looks like they went this way." He wasn't as experienced in tracking, as he used to be. Percival went over and confirmed the older knight's find.

They followed the trail, mostly in silence. Arthur held up his hand, and listened. He brought up his sword, and his body tensed for a strike.

With a calculated swing, he jumped around the tree.

Gwaine cursed and jumped back. "Bloody hell! What are you guys doing here? I just about took your head off!"

Arthur glanced down at the military issue knife in the knight's hand. "With that?" He snickered, "You were going to take  _my_  head off...with a knife?"

Gwaine shrugged, and sheathed his small blade. He threw a wink at the blond man. "You know I could." He looked around and caught Martha's eye. His shoulders visibly relaxed. "Actually...really glad to see all of you. Come on, Merlin is...not doing so hot." He motioned for them to follow him off the path, and deeper into the forest.

Mickey was waiting next to a small campfire. At the first sounds of someone approaching, he had his gun drawn and pointed toward them all. He swung the barrel up, as soon as he recognized his friends.

Martha pushed her way past them all, rushing to the prone form lying on the ground, wrapped in a thermal blanket.

"Merlin?" She shook his shoulder softly. There was no response. "Build up the fire and get me some light over here." Her authoritative voice spurred them into action.

"What else do you need?" Percival asked, shining his light down on his friend.

"His pulse is faint. His body temperature is too low." She went through a checklist of things, while examining him "Merlin? Can you hear me?"

"He was holding up, until after the bandit attack." Gwaine began explaining, "We were trying to find a place to make camp, and then exhaustion hit him. We finally managed to find this level spot. Well, I did. Gimpy over there, is another story."

"Hey!" Mickey protested. It was then that the others noticed the young man hadn't actually moved from his seat near the fire. He held up his hands, when Martha turned her gaze on him. "I'll be fine for now...Twisted my ankle, is all. Focus on taking care of your man there."

"Well, if I don't get him to a hospital now..." Her voice was choked with emotion. Martha batted away the tears forming in her eyes. "Leon, could you..."

"No. There's some sort of filtering shield in the area. We'd have to head back to where we beamed in."

"You can't take him away from here." Gwaine said firmly.

"The hell I can't, Gwaine! He's my husband!"

"Gwaine's right." Arthur stated thoughtfully.

Martha turned to look at him. She was shocked that they would prevent her from trying to save Merlin. Opening her mouth to protest, Arthur moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

He took his sword and laid it under the blanket on Merlin's chest. "Merlin said he needed to come here for a reason. He has spent more time looking after himself, than any of us can begin to imagine...well, except Leon. I think we need to trust, that after fifteen hundred years, he knows what he's doing."

"...And, if he dies because of this? What, then? What am I...are any of us...supposed to do, then?" Arthur refused to meet her eyes, so she turned to the others. Each one of them had gone quiet, and she thought her words had reached them.

"Then, we will mourn a great man, who has been a dear friend, and lived long enough to make a difference in our lives beyond our imagining." Leon said, looking into her soulful brown eyes. "There have been many days, I would have welcomed such a fate for myself."

"I can't even begin to imagine what you guys have seen. I don't think any of us could." Gwaine said, twisting his hands together and staring into the fire. "He's my best friend. I know he loves ya, Martha...loves you like no other...but, he's an old man. Old men get tired sometimes." His emotions were compounded by the loss of his grandfather, only months previous.

"Martha, we discovered recently that he isn't immortal, like he had suspected, but he's not human either. It's a complex situation. One which I barely have a grasp on. One thing I do know..." Arthur's eyes were filled with love and concern for the man who laid between them. "...I will do whatever I can to fulfil his request, even if it is his last."

"...Boat..." Came a surprising whisper. They turned to see Merlin's eyes, struggling to open.

"What's that?" Arthur asked, barely able to contain himself.

Merlin's breath was pained and shallow. "If you are all planning my funeral...I want to be cremated like the Vikings...in a boat...with a harem of women surrounding me...and lots of vodka."

"Merlin, buddy...That's my dream not yours, remember?" Gwaine said with a smile and a wink.

"Oh...yeah..." His eyes were unfocused, and his head moved weakly to the side, so he could see Gwaine.

Martha caressed his cheek and he turned his face to her. "Martha..."

"It's alright, I'm here. Save your energy. We're going to to figure out a way to get you back to the hospital."

"No."

She smiled patiently. "Merlin, you need to get somewhere for proper medical care. I can't treat you out here in the dark. Maybe Leon knows of a nearby planet with more medical advances, than we have..."

"Martha...Go home."

"We can get you home...Might be better for you, anyway...nice and quiet."

"No." Merlin tried to take a deeper breath. "You...go home."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

His blue eyes, the ones she loved more than any others, held no sign of the warmth she cherished seeing, when he finally met her eyes. They were dark and unreadable. "Go home...or somewhere. I don't want you here."

Her bottom lip quivered, and she shook her head, trying to will away the tears. "It's just the sickness talking, love. You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do." He said so quietly, she barely heard him. He chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in the sound. "Martha, you haven't known me long enough to understand anything about me."

Before Martha could argue, Arthur took her by the elbow, and led her away from the camp.

She was too stunned to put up a struggle at first. When they were a little ways off, she shook free of his grasp, and hugged herself tightly. "This isn't like him, Arthur. I don't understand what's going on with him."

"I do."

Spinning around to face him, she allowed her anger and confusion to show in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

The former king sighed and ran his hand through his blond hair. "I wouldn't want Guinevere to see me like that."

"So, it's a macho thing, is it?"

Arthur gritted his teeth. "That is not what I meant."

"Since you arrived...I have basically lost my husband, before I even had a real chance to be with him. Now..." She threw up her hands in defeat. "Now, he's pushing me away, and you're helping him. He's going to die if he doesn't get help. Yes, Gwen told me. Merlin wouldn't even tell me! He used to confide in me. We were happy."

"That is not my fault!"

"Isn't it, though? I think I've been beyond patient, with all of this shite. Merlin and I had plans. I've seen so much. Before I met him, I had seen so much darkness in the universe...including the literal end of humanity...far, far into the future. He was going to show me the world through his eyes; the world of magic and life. Now...I just want to be by his side, but you men are even keeping that from me."

"Despite what you are implying, I did not come back from the dead just to ruin your marriage." Arthur growled.

The sound of flint striking against steel, caused them both to turn. Gwaine was cupping his hands in front of his face. Martha's jaw dropped when he moved his hands away, and blew out smoke; the white, pencil-width cylinder of a cigarette in his fingers. "Don't mind me...Just thought I'd grab a smoke break, and watch the fireworks show."

"Gwaine, what are you talking about?" His head shifted to the side, as Gwaine inhaled and found a fallen log nearby to sit down on.

Martha sank against the trunk of a nearby oak. The branches above her were thick with new spring leaves. Their soft rustling, in contrast to the argument she and Arthur had been having, made her realize how loud the two of them had become. "Did everyone hear?"

Gwaine shrugged and took another drag. He blew it out slowly, before tapping the filter. The ashes floated to the ground, and disappeared into the dirt and moss. "Does it really matter?" He brought the filter to his mouth and inhaled again. "Did Merlin ever tell either of you about the last time he and I saw each other...before all this mess?"

Arthur stood off to the side, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He shook his head. "Camlann?"

"Nope. Before that. Merlin came to me, with a request. He wanted me to bring him here. Well, not here, but a place nearby. There's a cave." He chuckled, "You know, last night was the first night...since that last time I was here, that I actually got a decent night's sleep, without needing to be drunk, drugged, or completely exhausted."

Martha's look softened to one of compassion, having witnessed the mental state Gwaine had been in when she first met him. "You've come a long way from that."

Snorting, Arthur rolled his eyes.

Gwaine ignored it, understanding it was Arthur's way of coping with uncomfortable subjects. "Anyway. I didn't find out 'til Merlin and I were talking, just before we found out about the pods. Morg..." He paused and shook his head. Gwaine saw Arthur's eyes narrow. He knew the former king had caught the name slip up. "Someone snuck a creature into Camelot, and it stole Merlin's magic. That's why he said he wouldn't go to Camlann with ya. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect you without it. He asked me to help him get here, because he had a theory about getting it back.

"Being who I was, and knowing history...I had kind of guessed what was going on...but, back then, he didn't confide in anyone. Long story, short...Merlin is Merlin. We're lucky he broke down and asked for help at all, again. Martha, he's crazy about you, despite having his panties in a bunch right now. He just can't figure out how to tell ya. Arthur's right in that he just doesn't want you to see him weak like that." He waved away her unspoken protest. "Yeah, it's a 'man thing.' The thing is, we guys have been together, dealing with this stuff and fighting bandits side-by-side for years."

He dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "If you come with us, he's gonna stress about you being there; not being able to protect you if something happened, and worry himself back into a coma. He needs to focus on himself right now."

"Merlin doesn't know how to focus on himself." Arthur commented. He smirked, recalling how many times his friend had given of himself without a thought to others. Although he hadn't noticed the magic, Arthur hadn't been completely blind to the kind and courageous man who had always been at his side.

Through her tears, Martha chuckled, "Well, at least we can agree on that."

Gwaine smiled slyly. His diversionary tactic had been successful. "So, I'll tell you what we need to do to get him back. You, need to be somewhere else. It doesn't really matter where." He said, looking at Martha. Turning to Arthur, Gwaine continued, "...and, except for Mickey, the rest of us will leave once we get him to the cave, capeesh?"

Reluctantly, they both nodded.

Arthur finally relaxed his stance. He turned to Martha, an idea forming in his mind. "Take Percival, and make your way out of whatever is preventing the teleportation. Have him take you to the house. I don't know where Merlin might have put it, but there is a staff I need you to find, and then wait for us there."

"What sort of staff?" Her eyes widened, "Wait, do you mean the one he's been searching for? You think he found it?"

Arthur nodded in affirmation. "Guinevere said she would be returning to the house when I spoke to her earlier today. She can help you." He paused and studied the ground for a moment. When he looked back up, there was a slight distance in his eyes. "She probably knows Merlin's secrets better than anyone else, even if he never really told her any of them."

* * *

"You have got to be joking!" Arthur yelled out, bracing himself against the brutal down swing of a holographic sword. While he knew now that the bandits were not necessarily real, it didn't make the quivering in his arms from fending off their attacks feel any less significant.

"This way!" Gwaine suddenly called out.

Arthur's eyes darted quickly to his companions. They had given up on the backboard, and Leon currently had Merlin's body slung across his shoulders. Gwaine was waving them toward a rock face. Mickey had the supplies weighing him down. His ankle, still throbbing from the night before, didn't appear to be slowing him down. With a loud battle cry and a wide swing, Arthur managed to break off from the bandits, and follow his men.

* * *

The cave was dark and shallow...Certainly not what Arthur was hoping for, but the entrance was narrow enough that two men could easily defend it, while two others rested. It seemed, for the moment at least, that the bandits had retreated.

"If they do come here, we're going to be in a load of trouble...with no way to go." Mickey said, dropping the gear on the floor, and then allowing himself to fall, rather ungracefully, into a seated position against a wall.

"Yes, but it will at least give us time to catch our breath. How did you know about this place Gwaine?" Arthur slid his sword into its scabbard.

"I didn't." He shrugged, helping Leon ease Merlin to the ground. For a half a second, Merlin tried to steady himself upright, but his legs gave way, and he slumped in Gwaine's arms. "...Saw an old man waving to me, and figured it couldn't get any worse."

"An old man? Are you on the cider? Why the hell, would there be an old man waving at you in the woods?"

"I don't know, Arthur. Why the hell, would there be the same bandits we fought two years ago, over a thousand years in the future?"

Arthur's mouth snapped shut.

"...Doesn't matter." Merlin breathed out. "We're here."

"Merlin, I don't know if you're blind, as well as an idiot, but there isn't much to this cavern. It's more like a hole than anything."

"Arthur...Shut up. Help me stand."

Leon automatically took up Arthur's place at the entrance, while Arthur moved over to Merlin. Between him and Gwaine, they managed to haul the warlock to his feet.

Motioning with his head, Merlin directed them to the back wall. He placed a trembling hand against the stone. They waited, and nothing happened.

Merlin huffed in annoyance. "Bugger all. I don't know if I have enough left in me to even open it."

"In the library on the Camelot planet, you said when you used the words, it didn't appear to take the energy your normal magic did."

Tilting his head to the side, Merlin seemed to mull over his friend's words. Pressing his palm against the stone, he gave it another try, " _Alysan duru ronne._ "

The wall shimmered out of existence, revealing an arched doorway into a brightly lit cave beyond. "That actually worked." Merlin said, sounding more surprised by the outcome than his friends appeared.

Arthur beckoned to Leon and Mickey with his head. The five men cautiously moved through the opening.

Beyond the wall, a bluish light emanated. Arthur pondered on how similar it was to the watery colours of an active Stargate event horizon. He couldn't see anything that looked like the massive rings, but the cavern they stepped into was huge. A staircase, cut directly into the stone, led them downward. Cropping up from nearly every surface, were crystals. He suppressed a shiver. Even without the ability to actually sense magic, he could feel the power swirling.

In his mind, he could almost hear one of the scientists telling him how it wasn't really magic. More than likely, what he was feeling was something called an EM field, affecting his mind and interfering with something electric in his brain...or his ears. He wasn't able to remember which. He glanced at his knights. Mickey was staring in wide-eyed fascination at the faceted, crystal surfaces surrounding them. Leon was sporting an awestruck grin, as if he had just discovered the most brilliant treasure room he could have imagined.

Gwaine was squinting his eyes and trying to keep his attention focused on the steps. The stairs were narrow, and they had to turn sideways to carry Merlin in between them. It wasn't the most dignified of situations for the warlock to be in, but he offered no complaint.

They reached what appeared to be the bottom of the cavern. If Gwaine remembered right, from that point there should have been another path, leading up toward the right, into a tunnel that seemed to be melted through solid crystal. Beyond that, was the room with the Stargate. Unlike the SGC and most of the Gates scattered throughout the Milky Way, the Gate here resembled the ones in the Pegasus Galaxy, which were updated versions of the portals. More crystalline than naquida, and without the standard pedestal Dial Home Device, they were controlled by interfaces with nearby crystal structures.

When he had first been thrown into this cave, back in the sixth century, the Ancients' city of Atlantis had not yet been discovered. There had been no information about a different type of control panel for the Gates.

They sat Merlin down for a moment, and the warlock reached his hand out toward the nearest crystal. He smiled, as his hand caressed the smooth, glassy surface like a long, lost lover.

A shimmering visage caught his eye. Merlin looked up into a face that he had never expected to see again. He chuckled breathily.

The other men followed Merlin's gaze, and saw the holographic form of an older man standing by patiently.

"Father..." Merlin managed to whisper, before sleep claimed him.


	6. Chapter 6

_2500 years ago..._

"Where are we going, Father?" The dark-haired, young man asked.

They had been traveling for months from the mainland, in a place known as Ránríki in the northern area of Viken, heading south toward the island their people had first come from, when they had been brought to Earth. Few of their kind born in recent centuries, possessed the innate abilities to carry on their people's legacy.

"Lludd's dragon has been gifted with an egg." His father's voice was filled with hope for the future. "It has been over five decades since the last dragon was born. There will be three others there with you, to try and summon the dragon from the egg."

Balinor felt a shiver run through him. While the descendants of the Dragon Lords and their human mates were plentiful, the strong genetic line that bonded some of them to the dragons, was dying out. Balinor's people...his culture...was slowly becoming extinct. Many of the children were at least gifted with magic, to some extent, and most chose to follow the druidic path. However, others delved into stronger genres of magic that pushed far beyond the natural order and teaching given by the Nox, generations previous.

He was one of the few who had shown enough promise to potentially carry on his people's traditions. He had barely come of age, fully grown by human standards, but still very young in comparison to his father's race...his race.

"Kilgharrah..." He whispered, as his thoughts drifted towards the stars. He had been told many times, as his father had before him, that far beyond the white band across the night sky, is where his people had come from.

His father looked at him quizzically. "What was that?"

"His name."

"Balinor..." Heremod said patronizingly. "...You won't know the name until it comes to you, when you see the egg."

The young man, with his dark eyes, laughed, "I know that's the dragon's name, Father. The egg's line can be traced back to Ogham...Taliesin's own dragon...who had brought our language and our people to this planet. The name is a mixture of old and new, meaning the son of Ogan. He will be the one to carry on our language into the coming days."

Heremod gave his son a sad smile. "Perhaps, he will, but don't get your hopes up. If the egg doesn't hatch for you, we will need to discuss the future, and see if my dragon would be willing to accept you."

"...But, that means you would die, Father!"

"I have seen over seven centuries of life, and have had to fight so many wars. Your mother and I have already discussed breaking our own bond. She is tired...I am tired."

"I know it's the dragon's name, Father." With that, Balinor fell silent. His discussion with his father was at an end.

Heremod let him. The future would be decided soon enough. He looked up and saw the hilltop fort of Dinas Emrys, rising in the distance.

In the keep, they met with others who had traveled from far and wide for this occasion. One man stood out among them, not being one of the Dragon Lords. He introduced himself to Balinor as Moros. "...But, Taliesin used to call me 'Merlin,' saying that I was but a mere falcon flying around the galaxy, compared to the Furlings." There was a twinkle in the Alteran's eyes that Balinor was immediately drawn to. "What do you plan to do, once you call the dragon from the egg?"

The young man admitted, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Well, if you decide not to return north with your father, whatever happens here, I'd like to offer my services in training you and your dragon."

Balinor grinned, his youthful enthusiasm getting the better of him. "You think it'll be my dragon, too!"

Merlin laughed, deep and long. "That remains to be seen, my boy." He said, but the wink he secreted Balinor's way told the young man all he needed to know.

* * *

_2000 years ago..._

"I was saddened, as we all were, to hear about your father, Balinor."

The dark-haired man nodded his thanks. "I appreciate that, Ashkanar."

King Sigemund, in the lands of the Danes, was hailed as a hero who had slain a great dragon. Heremod held out long enough to kill Sigemund, and brought the Northern King's reign to an end, before passing on himself.

It was a sign of the times, as more and more humans began to fill the lands; declaring themselves kings over man and nature, under the guise of some obscure faith. It reminded Balinor of what Merlin had told him about the Ori, and he wondered if his people would survive another uprising against such fanatical beliefs of the humans.

He shook the thought away. Now was not the time for dabbling in the dark thoughts. Instead, it was a time to hope...and potentially celebrate.

Another egg, the first one since Kilgharrah's, had been found intact. The significance of it once again brought the Dragon Lords together. There had been a time when there were more eggs than potential Dragon Lords, as many of the older generations chose to pass on their dragons to their children and die peacefully. Times had changed, and less eggs were found with each passing century. Some were stolen by humans in their greed; others destroyed in wars.

He remembered when he had come of age, there had been himself and three others vying for what had become a matter of not only prestige, but also survival. Balinor had called to Kilgharrah. The egg had hatched quickly, and the small bronze-colored dragon took to his new master immediately.

Unfortunately, not all among the Dragon Lords were happy about the outcome. One of the other young men had set out to prove he could take control of the dragonling before Balinor's bond was fully formed. The brash actions of Balinor's competitor had led to war among the remaining Dragon Lords.

It was around that time, that the Sidhe had been discovered. They were scouts, created by the followers of the Ori to search out through space and find the remaining dragons that had fled thousands of years before from Celestis. With Merlin's help, the blue little demons were imprisoned at the Lake of Avalon. Sadly, however, the humanoid creatures, who were set to destroy the dragons if they could not return them to their masters, had already been able to spread stories among the humans on how to kill the dragons.

Merlin had kept them confined, using them to his advantage to keep many humans from venturing too close to the island where he had set up his lab. He had worked with Balinor to try and find a genetic fix for the dying symbiotic race of Furlings, as well as searched for a way to destroy the Ori. He seemed to be the only one of his own people, who truly believed that someday the evil of the Ori would spread, and doom them all.

"Balinor? Are you still with me?" Ashkanar chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, yes...I was just thinking." Balinor said, coming back to the moment.

Ashkanar was a very old man; the only one of the Dragon Lords who was somewhere over two millennia in age. He was a direct descendant from Taliesin and his Nox mate. A slight, pinkish hue to his skin, and wiry hair that looked like gray moss, gave away his ancestry. "Has he made any progress?" The elder asked, his eyebrows rose hopefully.

Balinor hated to disappoint his old friend, but sadly, all of Merlin's efforts had been unsuccessful.

He shook his head, and opened his mouth to explain, when a young servant girl interrupted them. The ceremony was about to start, and their presence was being requested.

There was only one boy, younger than Balinor had been, with the potential to summon the infant dragon forth from Ashkanar's egg. They all held their breath as the boy tried desperately, but he couldn't seem to find the name that would call the dragon.

Balinor stayed behind, long after the other Dragon Lords had departed; varying levels of sadness and resignation thick among them. Currently, their numbers were less than they had been, when Merlin had first brought their people here.

"My dragon and I are not long for this world, my friend." Ashkanar's voice was filled with resignation and sorrow. "If one of our sons do not come forth soon to hatch the egg, I will be forced to protect it, any way I can."

Balinor was afraid to ask. The silence stretched between them, as it became clear Ashkanar wouldn't elaborate without being prompted. "What do you mean?"

"I need you to do something for me, Balinor."

"Anything I can, my friend." Balinor responded. The two men stood atop a tall tower, hidden in a meadowed valley, surrounded by massive, snow-covered peaks.

Ashkanar pulled out a Triskelion, broken into three pieces. "Take these. Separate them and hide them across the land. Keep one for yourself, in case you ever have a son."

"What do you intend to do?" The worry was evident in Balinor's face, as he ran his fingers across the carved runes on the pieces.

"I will not let it fall into the hands of the humans or the followers of the Old Religion. 'Old Religion...' What a joke that is. I I remember the folklore of our people, from long before we came to this land. These half-humans know nothing of where their power comes from. If any of them was to find the egg, they would surely pervert the power within it for themselves...just as those our ancestors fled from had done." Ashkanar sighed. His old bones creaked and cracked audibly. "Perhaps in the future, one of the sons of our people will come to find it, but in case that never happens...I will do what I can to protect it, even if it means sacrificing the egg to do it."

* * *

_1500 years ago..._

He couldn't believe what he had done; how foolish he had been. His wish had been to spare Kilgharrah...

Men had driven the once noble people to the brink of extinction. One man in particular, had found a way to bring down the last three dragons and their Dragon Lords. Balinor and his bonded kin, Kilgharrah, were the last...the very last...on Earth, and from what Merlin had said, there were no more out in the stars.

"...Perhaps in Celestis, where your people had originated from millions of years ago, but I suspect whatever the Ori had done to your people, genetically speaking, would have killed any who had remained when Taliesin and Ogham fled." The Alteran had said, years before.

The only hope that remained for reaching out to Celestis, laid within the Crystal Cave. Sadly, that was part of Uther's territory. He and Kilgharrah could have flown off somewhere, far out of the reaches of the mad King Uther, but there was no guarantee they would find safety elsewhere.

After consulting with Kilgharrah, Balinor had made a deal with the devil. A human friend of his, Gaius, felt certain that Uther's rage over his wife's death had passed, and so he approached Uther under the guise of supplication. He had surrendered himself, after receiving a promise that neither he nor Kilgharrah would be harmed. Kilgharrah's prophetic visions spoke of a time to come, when they would be free, and the wrongs would be put right by the infant son of Uther.

What neither of them had expected, was the method Uther used to keep the promise twisted in his words. While the king did not kill the Great Dragon, magical chains bound Kilgharrah to stone, deep under the castle.

"Flee..." Kilgharrah's last message to Balinor, rang through his head. "Flee, Balinor. He does not understand our bond and he will kill you. Save us both, my friend."

Balinor ran. He was relieved when he had finally reached the Kingdom of Essetir.

Gaius had felt that he was responsible for the betrayal, even though Balinor did not blame him. The physician had family in Essetir. His sister had married a nobleman, who had later became the ruler of the small realm in the east. "I doubt Uther would follow you to Essetir. My brother-in-law owes me, for it was at his urging that I came to Camelot in the first place and take up Uther's offer of sponsorship for my training as a physician."

On Gaius' word, the King of Essetir offered Balinor a position among the guard. The monarch was unaware that the man he was giving refuge to, was the same Dragon Lord who King Uther of Camelot was searching for. For months, Balinor successfully hid among the ranks of Essetir's soldiers.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Lord knew he was in trouble when he caught the eye of the king's youngest daughter.

* * *

_A few months later..._

"What are those stars there called?" She had the delightful innocence of a child, as she pointed up to the sky.

"That is Orion." He said, and pulled his arm tighter around her shoulders. The grass and moss made a soft bed underneath them. His cloak, draped over their naked bodies, kept the breeze at bay, while they huddled together for warmth.

She laid on her side, pressed against his body; one arm tucked underneath, while her other rested across his chest. Each time she would point to the stars, the cloak covering them slipped, and Balinor found himself more mesmerized by her flowing curves, than the sky above. He had looked at that sky for over a thousand years...for answers...and found none. Here, in the hills away from the nuns in the nearby convent, he finally found peace. Her leg encircled his, her delicate toes moved smoothly along his calf muscle.

"...And those ones over there?" She asked, once again throwing her arm toward the heavens.

Balinor chuckled, happy to indulge her curiosity. Nights like this were rare, when he felt he could allow himself to believe that everything would be alright...someday. He still felt shame and guilt for having left Kilgharrah in Uther's clutches, but, at least the mad king had kept his promise to not actually harm the dragon.

It was hard to be patient, but he knew he had to be, for now. Someday things would change, once the king's grief ran its course, or when the infant prince came of age and took the throne.

He smiled down at the brunette princess in his arms. He doubted if her father, the King of Essetir, had any idea that when he had sent Balinor to escort his precious daughter to the convent outside of Ealdor for tutoring, that the two would have ended up like this...with her sneaking away in the night to join him on the grassy hilltop, just past the forest.

The propriety of humans held little sway with the Dragon Lord who had seen over a millennia of life. Many times before, he had fallen for various women, but none so deeply as with the precious lady currently warming his bed of grass.

"That's Pegasus."

"The one where your friend Merlin comes from?" She asked teasingly.

It hurt a bit, that she didn't seem to completely believe him, but she was young, and she was trying. "Yes, my Lady, as I have told you before."

"Oh, you can just stop with the formalities this instant." Sitting up, her body was exposed as she looked down on him. Her blue eyes sparkling with an inner fire.

"Very well, my beautiful Hunith, I shall no longer be so formal with you."

"As if you ever have, since the day we first met in the hall outside my father's Court."

A deep laugh issued forth. "I've never met anyone like you before." Balinor pushed himself to a sitting position and leaned forward, kissing her perfect cupid's bow lips. "I tell you what. Someday, I will find a way for you to meet Merlin, and then you shall see the truth of it all."

"When will that be?" She pouted.

"When you are old enough for me to marry you."

"I don't understand why you won't just marry me now." Her bottom lip jutted out in a playful pout.

He ran his fingers through her long, dark hair. "You are so young, Hunith. Why are you in such a rush?"

"By the time I'm old enough for you, you will be too old for me."

"I'm already too old for you!"

"Yes, I know, you have seen over a thousand years." She drawled out, rolling her eyes for emphasis.

He couldn't help but laugh at her melodramatic tone. "Committing to be my wife is a serious ceremony, and I want you to understand more of what it means before you decide. It goes far beyond the words of the priests. If it were that simple among my people, I would whisk you away this instant." Balinor could tell she was tuning out the words he had spoken, having heard them before...repeated each time they found themselves lying together after their passion. "Fine. This next spring, I shall take you to meet Merlin. Hopefully, he can make you understand the commitment you are so eager to jump into."

She flashed him with a brilliant smile and snuggled into his chest, pulling the cloak over her body. "I can't wait to meet him! I like that name. Is it French?"

In all his centuries, he had never felt so free, or lighthearted, as the beautiful, teenage princess made him feel. With her in his arms, he was almost young again.

* * *

He sank down on the floor of the cave, his grief spilling out in a waterfall of tears and pain. He didn't know if his beautiful Hunith was alive or dead. Balinor hoped that by running from Ealdor, he had saved her life.

Her father had somehow received word of his daughter's indiscretions with Balinor. He had sent word to Uther in Camelot of the Dragon Lord's whereabouts.

The moment Balinor saw the red of the capes, he knew he would have to flee. Hunith was in the convent under the watchful eyes of the sisterhood, and the day was still young. Any attempt to contact her, would have to wait for darkness. Unfortunately, Uther's men were not as patient. Led by the mad king himself, the small convent, outside of the village of Ealdor was raided. The sisters of the order were paraded out; forced to tell the King of Camelot about the man who had stayed nearby to guard the princess. One of the nuns, the one who most likely sent the initial word to the King of Essetir, pointed to a trail in the woods. "You will most likely find him along that path." He heard her say.

The knights were on his heels, and all he could do was flee. His magic staved off the worst of their attacks, but he was a peaceful man; he always had been. So, he ran once more.

He found his way around the edges of Camelot to the Valley of the Fallen Kings, and the cave that his friend and mentor, Merlin, had once spoken of.

When he neared the area, a man appeared before him, claiming to be Taliesin. Balinor knew the name. Every child of a Dragon Lord had grown up with the stories of Taliesin and Ogham. At first, Balinor was confused, until he realized it was only an illusion, cast by magic. He followed the image of Taliesin into the Crystal Cave, where he fell to the ground, and cried himself to sleep, as if he were a lost child.

* * *

"Balinor. Balinor, wake up."

A hand on his shoulder, shook him gently back to consciousness. He looked up into the ancient eyes of his Alteran friend. "Merlin? What are you doing here?"

The old man smiled, the creases around his eyes deeper than Balinor had ever known. The last time he had seen his friend, Merlin was preparing himself for Ascension with his fellow Alterans. Their conversation had been a poignant one, and both had thought it would have been their last.

Offering his arm, he assisted Balinor off the ground. "I had set up this cavern with Taliesin, long ago. There was an alert system in place, in case it was ever accessed."

"Yes, I remember being told about it, but it doesn't explain why you are here in the flesh."

"There are stirrings far out in space of times to come. I have given up my place among the Ascended to find an answer."

A sour chuckle issued from Balinor's throat. "Kilgharrah had spoken of a new prophecy being formed. One that would save all of Albion."

Merlin's eyes narrowed. While he knew the dragon would not have been able to fit among the rock walls, covered in crystals, his preliminary scans of the area had not revealed the dragon hiding anywhere nearby either. "May I ask, where is Kilgharrah?"

The last Dragon Lord sighed. The fate of his kind and the one he was bonded with, seemed to be at an end. He began explaining to his Ancient friend all that had transpired since their last meeting. Merlin led Balinor through the caverns to a hidden room, while he listened.

Following behind the two men, like a ghost that didn't really exist in the current scene, was another. He had dark, ruffled hair, and eyes nearly as blue as some of the crystals.

Other voices began to filter through his consciousness, while he looked around the new room. At the far end was a Stargate. However, unlike the gray, metallic one at the SGC, which was made of naquadah, this one appeared more natural, as if it had been formed from the crystals in the cave.

The two men in the vision...or perhaps it was a memory he was seeing...were conversing near a control console, but he couldn't hear them over other voices that were growing louder...coming closer to him.

"...Is where I came through." He heard one man say. It took a moment for his mind to register that he knew the voice.

"Why is it different from the others I have seen?" That was Arthur, he was sure of it.

Leon's soft tenor spoke next. "From what I was told, by Heimdall, this is one of the original Gates. The crystals weren't as plentiful as naquadah in this galaxy. So, they saved those for the power cells and other things."

"Yeah." The first voice came again. He now knew it was Gwaine. "The Atlantis Base, in the Pegasus Galaxy, has one similar. If I remember right, Carter said they have a bit more computing power and can reach further."

"So, was that a hologram...the guy who led us into here?" Mickey asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Yes. I believe it was Balinor." Arthur stated.

"Balinor?" Leon gasped, recognizing the name from his memories, although he had never met the man.

"Who's Balinor?"

"He...was my father, Gwaine." Merlin finally said. His eyes blinked, clearing away the cobwebs of unconsciousness.

"Well, look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living!" Mickey spoke up excitedly. He was standing with Leon near a shelf that was studded with symmetrical buttons made from the crystals, like a large control panel; obviously getting a crash course in how to access the systems.

Merlin smiled, before drawing a deep, cleansing breath. It took him a few seconds to realize the pain he had been feeling was greatly diminished. Whether it was because the Crystal Cave had blocked out the worst of it and was giving him strength to push through, or if Aithusa's own pain had eased for some reason, he didn't know. Whichever it was, It felt good to breath again. His eyes scanned the room. "All these centuries...I suspected there was more here, but I never knew this chamber existed..." Nor had he even imagined that the images of Taliesin and his father were holograms. Before Camlann, a room had opened up to him, and he had felt himself engulfed in a bright light, when the crystals had responded to his magic. He could now see the opened archway between that place, and the room they were currently in.

His mind drifted back to the scenes he had witnessed. He wondered if they had been real, but even as he questioned it, he knew they were. Balinor's memories had been transferred to him through the energy of the crystals. He crinkled his nose as he recalled one of them.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Arthur asked, standing beside him and holding out a hand to help his friend to his feet. He wrapped his arm around Merlin's waist to steady the warlock, and led him over to a flat rock to sit down on.

"Eh..." He was certainly better than he had been, "...about as good as a man can be, after having a memory of seeing his mother naked with his father downloaded into his brain."

Arthur's lips curled into a grimace, before he began to chuckle. The other men soon joined in.

It felt good...to be with his friends, laughing once again.

"She was a beautiful woman, but I don't imagine any man wants to envision his mother unclothed and in that position." The former king nearly choked on his laughter.

"His mother...or, his sister." Gwaine said with a pointed look at Leon.

The tall knight sobered and glared at Gwaine for a second, before he broke into laughter again.

"I hate to be a party pooper..." Glancing at his watch, Gwaine noted how long the journey had already taken, "...but, we need to get back to the SGC for a debriefing with General Landry, and I still need to write up a letter of resignation."

"We need to stop by the manor on our way, to retrieve Percival...and see my wife." Arthur agreed, hoping that the knight and Martha had found the item he had requested. "Will you be alright here with Mickey?" His concern about leaving Merlin weighed heavily on his mind.

Merlin nodded, with his eyes fixed on the Gate, and all the possibilities this room could hold. "Yeah. Go take care of things. We'll have this place figured out by the time you get back."

"I think I found the controls for the bandits. So, you shouldn't have any trouble on the way out...or I might have doubled their patrols...hard to say for sure." Mickey's face was plastered with a wide, teasing grin.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Call us, if you need us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fun information for ya:  
> In the epic poem Beowulf, Sigemund was a great king whose digression in the story was told in a way to compare his rise and fall with Beowulf. He was known for slaying a dragon and then was betrayed and killed by Heremod, bringing his reign to an end.
> 
> Kilgharrah: by some odd name link hopping, I was able to (in a twisted way) connect his name to the language that was used in the show as the "dragon tongue". Kilgharrah...Kilgara...took me to Kilgarriff, an Irish family name with roots in name O'Hogan. O'Hogan can then be translated to O` O`gan, meaning Son of Ogan. Ogan is form of the word Ogham, which was the tree alphabet used in Ireland, and has roots in Old German, and is said to appear to be similar to Greek as well. Old German is the language that was used in Merlin as the Dragon Language. So...it's a bit of a stretch, but what about this story isn't?
> 
> Lludd was a king around 100 AD in Britain, and was the one who imprisoned Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon of Wales) and a white dragon under the mountain where Dinas Emyrs was built. This then plays into the myth of Myrddin/Ambrosius and the history with Vortigern, around the beginning of some of the Arthurian Legends.


	7. Chapter 7

The blinking, black cursor stood in solitude against the white background. The bright screen reflected in Gwaine's eyes, as he stared at it in contemplation. He had never before imagined the day when he would write such a letter. He was so absorbed in his mental meandering, he failed to notice his sister peeking her head around the door.

Laney wished she could write the letter for him. She remembered forging notes from Boyd back in school, to excuse some of Gwaine's absences when he found himself in need of a break. Even after she had run away, Laney had always felt the need to take care of her baby brother. They were both so stubborn, and although Gwaine and Boyd had a good relationship, the siblings rarely asked for help with anything from anyone. Their mother had been the same way, especially after their dad had died.

While the thought had crossed her mind of having Gwaine ask his friends for help, it would have felt like failure in some way for the two of them. Merlin's job offer gave them both the opportunity they needed, and the means to not feel like a burden. She smirked, realizing just how well the old wizard knew them. Of course, it made sense in a way...he was related to them, too.

Her heart fluttered from nerves from all the upcoming changes. Toby was accepting of the move. He hadn't been able to really get into the swing of things at his new school, and was ready to experience life in a place where nobody knew him. The younger boys on the other hand, especially Greg, weren't as open to the idea. Greg had fit right in there in Colorado, with his scouts and new friends. Randy was worried about their dad not being able to find them if they moved.

It would take time, but she knew they would get through it. Sitting next to her brother's elbow on the desk, was the paperwork from Merlin's attorney. It appeared that Merlin had already set him up to look into the matter, and was just waiting for the right time. Laney wasn't sure if she was grateful that it would be so easy, or pissed that Merlin had taken the initiative without asking. Sighing heavily, she let it go. If everything hadn't come about the way it had, she never would have known about it, and the papers would have been filed away in some drawer halfway around the world. The pages had been signed, notarized, and faxed back to the office in New York. The hard copies were to be picked up the next day. Then, all she needed to do was wait for the judge to sign off on them. Her 'ex' had a few months to respond, but she highly doubted he would be found in time.

Heading down the stairs and into the kitchen, she looked at the clock on the stove and noticed that it was past feeding time for the animals. Nearly a foot of snow had fallen since the time Martha and the three men had left to go assist her brother, and when Leon and Gwaine had arrived back. Arthur had wanted to spend time, understandably, with Gwen and Aurie, after all that the guys had gone through. Percival was staying with him for the time being, since Leon had given him a way to work the teleport beam himself.

Shrugging into her coat, she pulled on her snow boots and grabbed a pair of gloves. Glancing around the kitchen, she wondered where Leon had run off to. Laney was grateful that he wasn't in sight. She still didn't know how to deal with the situation. Trudging out to the barn, she closed the door behind her and thought through her chores list. When she approached the first stall, she was surprised to see the old roan mare happily munching on oats and hay. "...The hell?" She asked out loud, noticing that the other two horses were also fed.

In fact, it seemed like all the necessary chores had been handled already. A grunting sound alerted her to another's presence, coming from the stall where some extra hay for Boyd's cattle was stored. Her breath caught in her throat, as she peeked around the corner into the stall.

It may have only been thirty degrees outside the barn, and maybe fifty inside, but she couldn't tell by looking at the sheen of sweat across Leon's bare arms, as he restacked the hay. His long, brown coat hung off to the side by the door. Laney covered her mouth with her hand, unable to tear her eyes away from scene. The way the thin fabric of his shirt clung to each muscle and moved like a second skin...it was like a train wreck waiting to happen...especially with the sleeves rolled up. Mentally and emotionally, she knew she wasn't in a position to deal with it. Gwaine had warned her, and she chided herself for not having broken it off with Leon after her brother had caught them. She thought she could handle it.

The pain in his eyes, and the longing for comfort, after Leon had explained the space battle; part of her had wanted to give in to him, but there was still a wall of fear and self-protection around her heart. She had consoled herself by using her kids as an excuse. They still had their dad, as absent as he was. Although, she still wasn't sure if it really surprised her to hear he'd run off to a foreign country with a new woman. Her own life had been mostly without a father. Although, it was under completely different circumstances.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, thinking about her oldest son's words. She didn't want to admit that Toby might have had a point, but she wasn't ready for anything more...especially now, with plans to uproot her family again...this time being even further away from the life they knew. Taking a step back, she prepared to retreat before Leon found out she was there. Unfortunately, she didn't see the bucket sitting next to the wall right behind her...until she tripped over it.

"Fracking son of a bitch!" She cursed, as her butt hit the concrete floor and her elbow knocked into the wall.

Leon was there in an instant. "Are you okay?" He asked, holding out his hand to help her up.

Refusing to meet his eyes, she shook her head. "Yeah...No...Frack."

Leon's throaty chuckle of amusement caused her to cringe. "Can't make up your mind?" He asked, pulling her to her feet.

She reached out to steady herself, and her hand touched the flesh of his bicep. It was slick with moisture from his physical exertion. His smell was amazing. The scent of the alfalfa clung to his shirt and mingled with the musky sweat. Her hand trembled and her breath was uneven. She attempted to push away, but he caught her and pulled her closer to him.

"Laney...I want to apologize for the other day...I..."

"S'okay!" She said, cutting off his words. "You'd been through some shit and needed more than I was able to give you."

He huffed slightly. "Yeah. It won't happen again."

She finally looked up into his eyes. The dim light of the barn made them appear even darker than normal. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Laney moaned against his mouth. Her body cried out for a need that only he could fill. His words told her it was a one time thing, but Laney knew better. Once the emotion was out in the open, there was no way it could go back to being simply sex. She'd been on that ride before.

Leon's tongue plied against her lips, asking them to part for him. Part of her wanted to shove him away, and run for the safety of the house. 'Gwaine is there...so are the kids.' Her mind screamed. With them being so close, she wouldn't be tempted to do anything with Leon.

Almost against her will, she gasped and opened her mouth and accepted him. Toby was right, she hadn't smiled...or felt so good about herself...until Leon had come along. It was more than just the great sex, too. He had come out to do the chores without being asked, or asking if she needed assistance. He simply had done it to help ease her burden. Rearranging the hay was an added bonus. When he looked at her, he gave her goose bumps, and except for that one day, he had never asked or pressured her for more. She had fun bantering and joking with him...he seemed to like her cooking.

Laney didn't want to open up. She wasn't ready...and yet, she offered no protest when he lead her into the stall with hay scattered on the ground like a blanket, and began removing her clothes.

"Stop..." She moaned.

He growled deep in his throat, knowing what she was going to say next. "Will you just trust me?" He demanded, capturing her mouth again with his own, while he began to press against her. "I won't get you with child." He pulled back and stared into her chocolate brown eyes. On more than one occasion, he had tried to explain the more advanced measures that he had taken in order to protect not only himself, but whoever he was with as well. "Please...just trust me."

For a moment, he felt certain she was going to protest, but then she nodded softly. The kiss he gave her could have melted a glacier. It felt like a victory that Laney was finally able to let down her walls, even if just for this one moment of hot passion. Admitting to him that on some level, she was finally willing to trust him, meant more than he ever could have imagined...*

* * *

Breathing heavily, he collapsed on top of her. His forehead pressed into the loose hay above her shoulder. "Beautiful...so...beautiful..." He whispered against her ear. At first, he thought she was laughing, but he soon realized that there was a sadder tone to it. He felt the tears from her eyes, as she pressed her face into the hollow of his neck.

Rolling off of her, and onto his side, he pulled her close and held her. He didn't know what had brought on her crying, but a part of him took guilty pleasure in the idea that she trusted him, not only with the the more advanced method of protection, but also now with her emotions. Cradling her against his chest, he reached out and found her coat, pulling it over her back to keep her warm.

After a few moments, she sniffled loudly and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry...Leon...I'm sorry."

He felt the cold air hit him, almost knocking the wind from his lungs, when she sat up and started to reach for her clothing. "Elaine, what's wrong?"

Laney refused to meet his eyes, as she gathered her stuff and began to dress, brushing the hay off her body. "I can't do this, Leon. I just...I can't."

"Can't do what?" He felt his heart sink in confusion as her body disappeared under the clothing.

Stuffing her feet into her boots, she grabbed her coat and ran out of the barn, leaving him sitting naked in the hay; wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

Arthur and Percival's forms materialized outside of the house. Gwaine had requested that if there was any question of the boys being home, they try to make their entrance as inconspicuous as possible. Arthur's eyes widened in surprise at how cold his feet suddenly were. He looked down and saw the snow piled around his shoes. Percival seemed equally shocked.

Arthur turned to his friend to comment, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in the darkness, rushing away from the barn. His lip curled in confusion, and he was about to hail a greeting, when the door to the barn opened and Elaine came out. Arthur glanced at Percival. He noticed that the large knight also saw her.

Raising his hand and smiling, Percival was about to call out to her, when Arthur stopped him.

He took note of the way she had paused and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. Her feet quickly carried her toward the house. She didn't even notice the two men standing in the shadows, outside of the porch light. The glass door slid shut behind her, before either of them spoke.

"Do you think she's alright?" Percival asked, a deep crease forming above his nose.

"I saw someone going the other way from the barn. My guess is, it was either Leon or Gwaine. We should just leave them be and pretend we didn't see anything. I doubt Elaine would appreciate us prying."

Percival snorted softly. Gwaine's sister was a rock of sarcasm and wit. She would smile and laugh along with the rest of them, but anything deeper, she kept buried far below the surface. "Shall we go in the front door, then?"

* * *

Gwaine was startled as the back door slid open. He had figured his sister was out doing chores, but he wasn't prepared for the state she was in, when she entered the house.

Tear tracks cut into dust on her face, and bits of hay were still stuck in her hair. His mind went to worst case scenario.

"Where's Leon? If he did anything to you..." He let the threat hang in the air.

Laney shook her head and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her coat. "No...no, he didn't. I just...I'm going to go take a shower before the boys see me." She tried to push her way past him.

Gwaine caught her by the shoulders. "Are you sure? I'll kill him if he did something to you, you know that."

She nodded, "I know." Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to smile, "He didn't do anything I didn't want, but I'm sure you don't want the details."

"So, what's with the crying?"

She barked out a harsh laugh. "The emotional shit storm you were predicting."

Gwaine rolled his eyes and let go of his sister. She rushed to her room, unmindful of the wet tracks her boots left along the floor. Grumbling under his breath, Gwaine grabbed a dish towel, intent on cleaning the mess. The ringing of the front doorbell had him cursing and wondering if it was Arthur finally arriving.

"I'll get it!" He heard one of the boys shout. At the same time, the back door slid open again and Leon came into the house.

Gwaine looked up and openly glared at his friend. Neither spoke a word, as Leon removed his boots and set them to the side. He moved to the table and sank down in a chair.

"What the frack did you do?" Gwaine finally asked, still staring at Leon.

Sitting forward, Leon placed his elbows on the table, and opened his mouth to explain that he didn't have a clue.

"We have returned!" Arthur said in a jovial voice, as he entered the kitchen. Percival came in, a step behind the former king.

Leon shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face. Gwaine turned his sour look onto the others for a moment, before focusing again on Leon. He threw the towel on the table angrily, and pointed his finger at the knight. "We'll discuss this later." He promised.

Gwaine spun on his heel and stalked over to the refrigerator. He grabbed a beer and popped it open. He then hopped up onto the countertop to sit down. His eyes narrowed, watching Leon over the bottle, as he tipped it back. Without removing his gaze, he asked Arthur. "Did Martha find what you wanted?"

Arthur forced a smile, and nodded. He was happy to have a direction of conversation away from the tension between his two knights. "She did. She has taken it to Torchwood to examine it, and see if there is something different between that staff and the Priors' staves. She still isn't happy about leaving Merlin alone with Mickey, but I suspect she understands the reasoning a bit better, thanks to you."

"Good." Gwaine took another drink.

Percival reached for the refrigerator handle, once he realized Gwaine wasn't going to offer any drinks to the rest of them. He pulled out three bottles and silently asked Gwaine if they could have them.

Gwaine gave him a tight nod, and finally looked away from Leon. "How are Gwen and the kid?"

"They're well. It was good to see them. They are actually going back to London to stay with Martha's mother, so she doesn't have to stay in the house alone." He chuckled softly and took one of the drinks from Percival. "It was Guinevere who actually uncovered Merlin's hiding place; in the floorboards under his bed."

Leon laughed, accepting the bottle Percival held out to him. "Ah. So many centuries gone by, and he is still a creature of habit."

Arthur gave the knight a questioning look.

"After Camlann, when we found out about his magic, he reluctantly admitted one night to Guinevere and myself...half-drunk, mind you...that for years he had hidden his spellbook and other things there."

The blank look on Arthur's face spoke volumes. "Under his bed? Do you have any idea how many times that room was searched?" He could have kicked himself for missing something so obvious and simple. "That idiot."

"Which one?" Gwaine asked jokingly.

Ignoring the jibe, Arthur opened his bottle and sat down at the table. "I suppose we should begin discussing our battle plans for tomorrow."

"Battle plans? Can I listen?" Toby asked eagerly, as he came into the kitchen and grabbed a soda.

Gwaine rolled his eyes. "No. Go play your games or something...or, don't you have homework?"

"No..." He said shifting on his feet. He met his uncle's eyes and knew he was busted, "Shit."

"HEY! I don't want to hear language like that from you!"

"Mom lets me curse in front her!"

"The frack she does!"

"She does now!" He looked around quickly. "Where is Mom?"

Gwaine bit his bottom lip, dropping the argument with Toby and unconsciously casting another glare at Leon. "She ain't feeling well...Went to go lie down."

"So...I can stay, then? She told me all about the whole knights thing. I think that is awesome! I mean, I've read stuff about all you guys...Well, except you, Mr. Leon. I don't remember reading about a knight with your name."

Leon's mouth fell open. He blinked, "I really do not know how to respond to that."

Percival coughed to cover a laugh, while Gwaine smirked triumphantly.

"Come and sit." Arthur offered the chair next to him. "I was younger than you, when my father first brought me into war council meetings."

Gwaine sighed. He was a bit uneasy about bringing the kid in on everything. "Toby, you realize anything...and I do mean  _anything_  you hear, can't leave this room. You gotta swear to me. You won't tell your brothers or anyone. If I catch even a whiff of something, you are going to be in deep shit."

Toby nodded quickly and made a show of zipping his lips together.

"Alright, then." Gwaine said, giving in. On a normal day, he might have put his foot down, but he wasn't in the mood to argue about stuff that Toby would probably find out about soon enough, anyway. "I've got a meeting with General Landry first thing in the morning. I'm...wow...I'm going to be handing him my resignation. I think he's sort of expecting it, but you never know." He shrugged his shoulders and dangled the bottle between his knees. "After that, as far as I know, we'll all be in a meeting with him and SG-1, plus a few others, to discuss what happened out there."

Gwaine finished off the bottle and set it off to the side. He looked pointedly at Leon. "He's gonna want to know about you, your ship, how we know you...I'm sure Colonel Carter is going to be questioning your longevity, and Dr. Jackson will probably be bringing up the same thing Toby here did. You aren't mentioned in any of the history books."

"Not once?" The disappointment in Leon's voice was almost comical.

"Nope. Maybe Merlin had something to do with it...or one of your alien buddies...who knows?"

"Lancelot." Leon concluded with a chuckle.

"Yeah, probably. Anyway...there's going to be a hell of a lot of questions for all of us...especially about Merlin. Carolyn was able to cover us at the hospital, but I'm not sure if she was as successful with her father, and I don't want to see her get in any trouble on a professional level."

They all nodded in understanding.

Toby raised his hand timidly.

"If you have a question, go ahead and ask." Arthur smiled encouragingly.

"Um...I thought you guys worked on some top secret, time travel project. But, now you're saying Sir Lancelot is an alien? I'm confused."

Percival patted Toby on the back and leaned in closer to him. "Welcome to my world, Toby. Just do what I do...nod and go with it."

* * *

The house had become quiet. After Toby's question, Gwaine had excused himself to go put the little kids to bed. Soon after, Arthur had commandeered Gwaine's room. The former king was still not used to not having the status he once did, and he hadn't even thought twice about requesting it. Gwaine really didn't mind though, as part of him was still accustomed to the lifestyle he'd spent years immersed in.

Toby finally went to do his homework, while Leon and Percival had gone back to the ship.

Just before they left, Leon had cast a longing glance in the direction of Laney's room. She hadn't shown herself at all, since she had run out of the barn. He took a step down the hall, when he had felt Gwaine's hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"Leave her for tonight." The younger man said.

"I would like to make sure she's alright, Gwaine."

Holding his hands up in front of him, Gwaine shook his head. His temper from earlier had finally cooled. "Seriously. I know my sister. I don't know what the hell happened between you two out there, but when she gets like this...you just need to give her some time."

Reluctantly, Leon nodded and followed Percival out of the house. His heart ached, and he wanted nothing more than to fix whatever seemed to have broken in the beautiful woman, whom he had begun to care for.

Gwaine watched him go and steadied himself. Soon afterwards, he found himself in front of his sister's door. Despite his words to Leon, he was worried about her, too. Rapping lightly, he waited for a few seconds, before trying the door knob. Thankfully, it was unlocked, and he quietly pushed it open. "Hey, Laney?" He called softly and poked his head in.

She was curled up on the bed, facing away from the door. At first he thought she was asleep, until he noticed the way her shoulders were trembling. "Hey..." He said with a concerned smile, as he moved around in front of her. He dropped himself down on the floor and reached out for her face. Using his thumb, he caressed her cheek. "You okay?"

Her eyes opened, puffy and rimmed with red from crying. She shook her head, not trusting her own voice. Laney's hand was curled around an old photograph, and clutched tightly to her breast.

He pointed at it; a question in his eyes. "May I see?"

Nodding, Laney held it out for him. In the picture was his family: his dad, his mom holding a baby who he figured was himelf, and a little girl with pigtails and a pirate smile. Boyd was standing off to one side, and on the other, was a woman who Gwaine assumed was his grandma.

"Do you remember Dad at all?" Laney finally asked in a choked voice.

Gwaine had to shake his head. "A little...but, not really."

"That was the first and last time I'd met Boyd, before we went to live with him. He and Dfad stopped talking again after that. I don't want my boys to grow up not knowing their dad, Gwaine. But, I don't know how to fix this for them."

"Ah, I see. He's a bastard, 'Lane. I don't know what else to tell ya? Making yourself miserable isn't going to make it right. I do remember how sad Mom was, though. Sometimes, I wonder...if she had just met someone, maybe she would have been happier...maybe we all could have been, ya know?" He shook his head and stood up. "Scoot over and make some room. I don't want to sleep on the couch tonight."

Laney forced herself to smile, and wiggled back on the bed to give her brother some space.

He stretched out next to her, and pulled her into his arms. She curled up tightly against him.

"Leon's a great guy, even if I don't know him as well as I used to." Gwaine finally said, after a long silence. "I know you don't want to get hurt, but you're hurting yourself...and the kids don't want to see you miserable, anymore than we liked seeing Mom like that."

"She gave up everything for us, Gwaine."

"Yeah, and look where that got her...and us. We were pretty messed up; gotta admit that."

"Maybe." She finally conceded, "It's just that...you guys could have all died out there! What if that happened, huh? What if...?"

"Hey, we didn't die! Seriously, though, even if something did happen, wouldn't you have want to have at least been happy for a while, beforehand?"

Laney snorted, "Toby told me he liked Mr. Leon...that his Dad had never made me smile like Leon does."

Smiling, Gwaine hugged his sister tightly. "See? That should give you your answer right there."

"...But, Greg and Randy..."

"...Are only seeing how much you're pushing to have them try to love a deadbeat asshole."

She buried her face in Gwaine's shoulder. "He probably hates me now." She groaned.

Gwaine laughed, "I had to stop him from coming to check up on you. That isn't something a guy who hates you would want to do. I was worried about him getting emotional, but I think you both kind of broke your 'just sex' agreement."

She shrugged and offered her brother the first hint of a true smile. "The terms of that contract sucked anyway."

"After what I had walked in on...I don't think sucking was part of the problem..." He quickly found himself unbalanced and landing with a thud and a yelp on the floor, when his sister shoved him off the edge of the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is an M rated version of this chapter available exclusively at theheartofcamelot.com


	8. Chapter 8

It took every ounce of his training to not fidget. He stood erect; his shoulders back, chest out, chin up, arms and legs straight...and he waited.

"At ease, Major." The General finally said, tossing the paper he'd been reading onto his desk.

Gwaine let out a quiet breath and shifted into the Parade Rest stance. He glanced at General Landry, but didn't say a word, waiting to hear what the man would say.

Landry stood up and moved around his desk, standing in front of Gwaine. "Are you sure about this, son?"

He nodded, "I am. It's something I probably should have done a while back."

"Yeah, probably, but I think we both know that wouldn't have been a good move for you at the time. It just seems a bit odd that you would come to this decision now, considering all that's going on. Unless, perhaps, there's something you know that you aren't tell me."

Closing his eyes, Gwaine fought the internal battle within himself. "There is." He finally admitted. "I have a hard enough time just wrapping my own head around it, Sir, that I would like to present it one single time, during the debriefing."

"Could you at least give me a bit of a heads-up about the nature of this information?" Landry pressed. The last thing he needed was to be blindsided by some completely unknown factor. The Milky Way Galaxy was at war for its freedom.

"It's about the Orici, Sir, and Merlin's connection to some of the issues that have been going on."

"I see. By the way, where is Colonel Emrys? "

"He's resting and recovering, Sir."

"...But you aren't going to tell me where, are you?"

"Respectfully...no, Sir. He has given me permission to disclose some aspects of his condition, because he feels it will help against the Ori."

The General leaned back against his desk, with his arms crossed. "I imagine with the help of your buddy who happens to own a Tel'tak, you boys are going to be continuing on your own with all of this."

Gwaine kept his eyes down. He didn't want to give Landry the impression that he was going to be a vigilante, but in all honesty, that was the closest description he could think of. He nodded his head once.

"Good." The smile on Landry's face caught Gwaine by surprise. "I actually spoke with Mr. Woolsey of the IOA this morning. It seems Colonel Emrys is well acquainted with many of the 'higher-up' British Officials who have been recently brought in on all of this. They are trying to track him down to see if he is willing to head a UNIT-sponsored SG team, and since his last known location was here...Well, you can see the pickle that's put me in.

A roguish half-smirk graced Gwaine face. The whole world seemed to suddenly be brighter. He wondered if Merlin had somehow seen what would come about, or if it was just destiny's way of setting things straight. "It's a good thing he hired me as his personal assistant then, eh?"

Landry chuckled, his own smile matching Gwaine's. "I was wondering about that. Alright then..." He turned and picked up the letter, skimming over it again. "It'll take a couple of months to fully process you out, but it shouldn't be too much of a hassle, considering your history. Until then, Major, I'm removing you from SG-3 and assigning you to liaison with this new UNIT team. Your mother was a British National, correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. I think they'll like that. After the briefing, you're to report to Mr. Woolsey. He'll get you set up from there."

* * *

The filing cabinet drawer closed with a snap, and Carolyn's thumb pushed in the locking mechanism to secure it. Her back was to the door of her office, so she was unaware of another's presence behind her, until strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"I thought I'd find you here." A voice whispered in her ear. The husky tone made her heart quicken. She leaned back slightly, welcoming Gwaine's embrace. "Did you get in any trouble for what happened?"

Turning around to face him, she threaded her arms under his and tilted her head up for a kiss. "A slight reprimand from the attending physician on call at the hospital, but as far as they are concerned, Colonel Emrys checked himself out against medical advice. There's not much they can do."

"Awesome." He said, returning the kiss. "Have I told you lately, that you are the most beautiful woman in the galaxy?"

Carolyn smiled coyly. She pulled out of his arms and moved to her desk, where she started sifting through files. "How'd the meeting with the General go?"

He ran his hand over his scalp. Moving over to a chair, he flopped down. "Good. Better than I thought it would."

"So, you'll be processed out then?"

"Yeah. 'Might take a while, but he already had an idea for where to put me until then. I get the feeling  _someone_..." His brown eyes gave the doctor a pointed look. "...gave him a bit of a 'heads-up' about my resignation."

She shrugged, admitting to nothing. "We should get back downstairs for the debriefing. It starts in fifteen minutes." Gathering the files in her hands, she walked over to the door and waited for Gwaine. "Did you tell Mr. Pendragon, or any of the others, what you told me?"

"Not yet. Arthur's going to be livid, when he finds out." Standing up, he reached for her outstretched hand and felt the tension in his shoulders melt. The information he planned to reveal weighed heavily on his mind. He was nervous. It wasn't every day you told one of your best friends that his psychotic, sorceress sister had been returned from the dead.

* * *

The first hour was filled mostly with a recap of what had transpired throughout the last two weeks. The initial debriefings having already taken place since the time of the battle, in more intimate settings.

The normally large Briefing Room felt small and claustrophobic, with so many people waiting for their turn to speak. Every seat at the large, oblong-shaped table was filled. The polished, dark red-stained surface was nearly invisible underneath files, scattered papers, coffee cups, and computer tablets. In the center, pitchers of ice water sat half-empty on serving trays from the cafeteria. Along the windowed wall that overlooked the Gate Room on level twenty-eight of the complex, men either stood or leaned on the window ledges. They weren't able to hear the Gate whooshing to life in the room below through the thick, glass panes, but its blue, rippling light cast them in slightly silhouetted contrast to the stark white of the fluorescent bulbs overhead.

The opposite wall held maps of the Milky Way, pinpricked with location marks and tiny flags. It reminded Gwaine of a game board, even though what they faced wasn't some strategy game. It was a true battle for life and freedom.

At the head of the table sat General Landry. The lights of the room glinted off the metal adornment on his collar. His hands were clasped in his lap, while he listened intently to a man three seats down on his right.

Colonel Emerson was finishing his report on the current status of the repair schedule for Prometheus. Landry nodded and turned to Dr. Lam, who was sitting next to Emerson.

Carolyn glanced through her papers, placing a dot of ink beside each name of the wounded SGC personnel still in her care, as she gave an update on their condition and prognosis. No one mentioned the casualties, still fresh in all their minds. The list of men and women lost had already been presented earlier in the week. Families had been notified and arrangements made. The number of funerals and memorial services looming on the horizon was something no one wished to count.

Sitting across the table and a few chairs to the left from her, Gwaine felt a pang of guilt, while he listened to his girlfriend speak. He felt selfish for not having thought of how it all had affected her. She had been so strong for him, while he was wrapped up in his misery and indecision. After hearing her report, he was now more aware of her personal grief. Carolyn was one of the few in the room who had known nearly every name on that list. Being the Chief Medical Officer, every member of the SGC had passed through her office at some point, whether it was for treatment of injuries or sickness, or simply for a regular check-up. While there were many others on the medical staff who handled most of the day-to-day visits, it was her job to oversee it all.

When she was done, Landry turned to Colonels Mitchell and Carter, seated directly across from Gwaine, near the bottom end of the table. Mitchell recapped the adventure that Arthur had already told Gwaine about; the planet with the library and the Black Knight. They briefly grazed over the events surrounding the Supergate, and onto their rescue of Daniel Jackson, and Vala Mal Doran. Gwaine took note that, while Dr. Jackson was sitting between Emerson and Mitchell, Vala was conspicuously absent.

"Let me get this straight, Dr. Jackson..." Mr. Woolsey was an odd man; prim and proper in his three-piece suit. He adjusted his dark tie, as if the act of making certain it was straight gave him more authority for asking his question. The top of his head was completely bald and a neatly trimmed strip of dark hair, about three-inches wide, wrapped around the back from ear to ear. There wasn't a single strand out of place. His face was clean shaven, as if done by a professional barber, and his wire-rimmed glasses outlined his eyes in square shapes, with a slight roundness near the edges.

Gwaine bit down on his tongue to keep from smirking at the IOA lawyer, who was to be his new boss until his paperwork was processed. The shape of the glasses was almost a perfect match for the shape of the man's head, if it was turned on its side. Only the content of the continuing conversation kept Gwaine's mind from wandering further astray.

"...You had the opportunity to kill this 'Orici' just before you were rescued." He paused for dramatic effect, like a lawyer on a TV show would do in an attempt to unsettle a witness. "Why didn't you take it?"

Jackson leaned over the table and perched his elbows on either side of his stack of folders. He rifled his fingers through his hair. "I have already been over this. Adria is Vala's daughter. If we can somehow get through to her..."

Chaos erupted, as not only Woolsey, but Mitchell, Carter and others who Gwaine wasn't familiar with, began arguing over Jackson's action, or inaction, in the situation.

Gwaine couldn't stop the soft snort. Even if Jackson had taken the shot, he doubted it would have done much good. The number of times Morgana had miraculously recovered from supposedly fatal wounds in the past, was proof enough that she was harder to kill than she appeared. He felt Carolyn's eyes on him...as well as General Landry's. He gave the latter a barely imperceptible nod. His eyes shifted back to Carolyn, she smiled her encouragement.

"Major Dallon, earlier you mentioned you had some added information pertaining to this Orici." Landry's voice carried through the room, silencing everyone.

On Gwaine's immediate right, Arthur had been observing the entire affair with the same carefully schooled look he used to use, when he dealt with local lords and taxation issues. It was not that he wasn't interested in the topic or outcome, but that he had learned that the show of any emotion beyond polite interest could be misinterpreted. He was curious about the General's enquiry of the knight to Arthur's left. From Arthur's observation, Gwaine seemed a bit nervous, and he wondered with silent curiosity about an apologetic look the man shot him before sitting forward to speak.

Gwaine cough lightly, attempting to dislodge the frog that had suddenly taken up residence in his throat. "I believe so, Sir. Just before I was extracted from the sixth century, I was captured and tortured by Morgana. When I was on the Odyssey, during the battle I suffered what I thought at the time was a hallucination of...her. She said something, though, that was a bit odd. I didn't think much of it until back here at the SGC. I overheard SG-1 discussing this Adria. In the...vision, for lack of a better word...she said 'I have been reborn. I am the Orici.'"

He paused, subconsciously feeling Arthur go suddenly still.

"A vision?" Woolsey snickered, unimpressed and obviously making a mental note about Gwaine's state of mind. "Major, could it be that your mind somehow blended these events together?"

"If I had heard about this Orici beforehand, then yes, Mr. Woolsey, I would agree, but the battle took place a few days before I overheard SG-1. I spoke with Colonel Emrys about this." He said, continuing over the murmuring of whispers that had started around him. "From what he and Arthur have discovered, a creature he was familiar with, who was loyal to Morgana before her death, may have found its way to a Prior and then onto the Ori...carrying with it what we believe to have been the preserved body of Morgana."

From the corner of his eye, Gwaine could see Arthur's knuckles whiten, as they grasped the arm of the chair. It was the only outward sign that the former king gave of his unease.

"I see." Landry said, processing the new information. "Did this Morgana have anything special...in the way of powers or innate abilities...we should be aware of? If this is somehow linked, I mean."

"Yes, Sir. She shared similar abilities to what Colonel Emrys possesses, at the very least."

Mitchell scoffed, "...and you just decided to tell us now?

Landry looked to Colonel Carter for her input.

"Theoretically, it's not impossible. If they had a viable source of genetic material to somehow clone this Morgana in the same way the Ancients', or even the Asgard's, cloning technology works..." Normally, Carter would have continued onto a more detailed explanation, but the General cut her short.

"So, we may be dealing with, not only a genetic manipulation of a super Prior, but one who also has other unrecognized abilities of a Furling."

Arthur chuckled sourly. "...Not to mention, the complete mental instability my half-sister suffered from."

Gwaine sat back as the others all began to discuss and hypothesize over the implications. Arthur, finally discovering an element he was familiar with, joined in; running at full steam. The Ori, and other aliens out among the stars, was a foreign concept to him that he still wasn't comfortable with. Battling his own sister, on the other hand, was as natural as breathing itself.

* * *

"Hey!" He said into the phone, as Laney greeted him. "How are you holding up?"

"Better than last night. How'd the meetings go?" She asked anxiously.

"General took it pretty well. He's found a way for me to do what I need to, until all the red tape is taken care of. I'm going to have to head off to DC tomorrow afternoon to deal with some stuff at the Pentagon...Need me to come home tonight?"

"No. We're good. I got a lot of things taken care of, and I'm meeting with a couple of realtors tomorrow about the place...Start getting things working to put it on the market; make sure passports and shit are all in order, ya know? Oh, I found out there's going to be an auction middle of next month we can send the herd to, if we don't find a buyer for them..."

He listened to her ramble on for awhile, offering appropriate comments when necessary.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?" Laney finally asked.

"Mitchell's going to take me to get some parts for the Beast. So, I can try to get it running enough to limp home."

"I thought you were going to try and sneak off with Arthur and the boys?"

"Yeah...not happening. I revealed some stuff today that has him a bit perturbed with me at the moment. So, I've effectively been benched, while he cools down. Arthur, Leon, and Percival are heading out to retrieve a lost backpack. They should be back in a few days.

"I thought, once I got the Scout fixed, I'd try and take Carolyn out for a bite to eat before coming home, if that's okay?" He planned to hopefully run to the store beforehand and pick up something special, as a way of saying 'thanks' for all the support Carolyn had given to him. Smirking, he decided he'd try and get something for his sister, too.

Laney laughed, "Alright, I won't wait up for you, then. There's supposed to be another storm front moving in around midnight. So, don't feel bad if you can't make it home, since I know she lives closer to the Base."

* * *

Gwaine finally made it back to the house just after ten a.m. Mitchell had helped him to get the scout running finally, and he had offered his car for Gwaine to take his lady out for dinner. It was an unspoken apology for having walked in on the couple in the locker room. He reluctantly admitted that Dr. Lam had cornered him about the incident.

After a quick shower alone in said locker room, Gwaine had set out and stopped at a local grocery store, and picked up two bunches of flowers...red roses for Carolyn, and a mixed bouquet for his sister...before arriving on Carolyn's doorstep.

For the second night in over a year, Gwaine had slept soundly; wrapped up in the arms of his beautiful, island goddess. The morning had come with a bit of a frantic rush to get to the Base, give Mitchell his car back, touch base with Woolsey, and then, head home to grab a few things before his flight to D.C. with Mr. Woolsey that afternoon. The following morning they were to meet with some members of the IOA, and the infamous General Jack O'Neill, to discuss the entire situation.

As Gwaine pulled up in front of the house, he noticed a strange truck sitting in the drive. He stared at it with curiousity for a few moments, before climbing out of the Scout and trudging through the snow to the porch. The boys, obviously feeling much better, were having a snowball fight out in one of the fields. A discarded shovel leaning against the porch rail, told Gwaine they were slacking in their duties to clear the small walkway in front of the house.

He pondered briefly about admonishing them, but quickly decided he would just let them have their fun, as there was never much snow around Camelot, where they would be moving to. Making his way into the house, he was assaulted by the odor of cleaning products. The place looked like it had been assaulted by a whole team of housekeepers, and Gwaine wondered what had spurred his sister into an all-night cleaning binge.

Making his way into the kitchen, Laney looked up at him from some papers spread out in front of her. Across the table was a man, whom Gwaine was soon introduced to as a local realtor. The man had come to give them an initial assessment of value and marketing. After he left, Laney informed her brother that the man was the first of, at least, four interviews she had set up for the day.

"You're really rearing to go on this!" He commented to her. When Gwaine had entered the house, he'd originally stashed the flowers next to the television. Retrieving them, he offered them to his sister with a smile.

Laney accepted them with a nod and smile of her own. Never one to make a big fuss over gifts, she smelled them and began heading to the kitchen. "You have no idea how excited I am about it." In fact, she hadn't experienced this level of anticipation about a change in her life for as long as Gwaine could recall.

He headed toward his room, and hollered back over his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want me to try and stick around?"

"Hell, no! Toby's best friend from Wyoming is coming down with his family. They're heading to check out some of the 'history' on Route 66 for spring break, and invited him along. Greg and Randy are going to go spend the week with their grandparents."

"Are you sure that's wise, with everything going on?"

Laney rolled her eyes. "Please! They're even more pissed off with their asshole son than I am, right now. Honestly...I think I could use the break from everyone. It'll give me a whole week to myself to clean, pack and organize."

Gwaine's tongue was between his teeth, as he laughed, "Dream vacation! Well, if you need anything, you be sure to call someone, alright?"

"What's going to happen to me? I am going to be livin' la vida 'quiet life'...Can't get better than that."


	9. Chapter 9

Music played from Merlin's phone suddenly, and he glanced at the caller ID.

Mickey had figured out a way to patch the phones into the alien communication system, without compromising the defensive and protective measures that kept the cave hidden. The old warlock wasn't sure if he was grateful for it or not.

"Are you going to answer that?"

Merlin hit the 'ignore' button and set it off to the side.

Knowing full well who the ringtone was set for, Mickey decided to press the issue. "Is there a reason you're being an arse to your wife?"

Blue eyes lifted and stared at Mickey for a moment, through the dark bangs. After a pause, Merlin sat back in the chair. He was still weak, but something in the energy patterns of the crystals helped, just as it had done centuries before, to give him strength. He'd spent the first day after the others had left, in the chamber outside the Gate room in deep meditation, while Mickey worked through deciphering some of the system controls. The next two had been filled with going through the files and recordings of Moros. Merlin had taken a few moments when they started, to explain to Mickey about the "Ancient Merlin."

The journal Merlin was currently viewing was embedded directly into the computer systems of the Gate Room, unlike the one which had been recovered by SG-1 from Avalon. That one was a separate system completely. It held information regarding the weapon the Alteran was working on, still resided with the Asgard, and supposedly it had been completely drained of power. Merlin wondered if the energy sources from it could be restored, if he brought it to this cave. That was an idea for another day; one which would involve Leon asking his friend, Heimdall, for a favor. So, Merlin pushed it to the back of his mind.

Since deciphering the language months before, Mickey had come a long way in his translations. Although the symbols on the controls were that of the Alteran language, it was close enough to Furling for him to apply what he had learned. This included the realization that there were actual chairs hidden away in the floor that rose up at the push of a button.

Sighing heavily, Merlin tried to formulate his thoughts into an actual explanation of his recent actions. Martha had been through so much, during her travels with the Doctor. She had seen the darkest parts of humanity exploited and twisted by alien beings. He knew she held no prejudice against others, but he still felt uneasy about the recent revelations about himself. For his entire life, he'd thought of himself as human, and that it was his magic that had granted him apparent immortality.

Discovering that he was, in fact, at least part alien, and not really immortal...blew his idea of reality out of the water...and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

He felt like he needed to redefine himself from scratch, and that thought didn't particularly appeal to him, especially in light of the events of the past year. The return of Arthur had been prophesied, but not the others. He wondered even more now about Kilgharrah's words; spoken so long ago. There were so many unanswered questions.

He would have loved to have shared his theories with her, but her frantic hovering from the time he had reawakened had put him off. He was used to having been on his own for most of his life. He had tried to tell her, amidst the nervous fluttering around his hospital room to just needed to give him time. Merlin had been in more pain than he could ever recall, but she didn't, or wouldn't, hear him. It felt like she was smothering him, even though he knew that wasn't her intention.

"It's complicated." He finally told Mickey.

"That's a bullshit answer people give when they don't have a clue themselves." The young man sniggered.

Merlin smirked and quietly agreed, "Perhaps, it is. I have spent so many centuries taking care of myself and those I care for..."

"What? You never had anyone to take care of you? Is that what you're saying?"

Silence fell throughout the room. Mickey could see the thoughts that were normally hidden behind his friend's eyes, playing out.

"Maybe once...a long time ago." Merlin leaned forward on the console, and brushed his hand absently over the various controls. On one side, there was an oval of a gel-like substance that was covered by a thin membrane, just large enough for his palm, and he didn't notice when he touched it. A holographic screen before them came to life. The projection was of a young woman with eyes just like his, and dark brown hair. She was smiling. Merlin stared at it; hypnotized by it.

"Who is that?"

Realizing what he had done, Merlin quickly broke the connection to the device by removing his hand. "No one."

Mickey wasn't fooled. He stared at the warlock impatiently.

"My mother, alright?" Merlin finally relented, "...or, at least my father's memory of her."

Merlin tapped at the various controls, attempting to get back to the recorded journals.

Another image flared to life in front of them. It was the man, or hologram, who had led them into the cave, and then, had reappeared briefly again just before Merlin had passed out.

Snorting in his amusement, Mickey pointed to the new image. "...Looks like you're going to be having a family reunion, whether you like it or not."

"My friend, I hope this somehow finds its way to you. Kilgharrah has been freed of his prison. I don't know how exactly, but I believe my son..." Balinor's voice faltered under the overwhelming emotions. He chuckled and tears of amazement leaked from his eyes. "...I have a son. Oh, and you'll enjoy this...His mother was obviously more fascinated with my stories of you than I realized. She named him Merlin...of all things! I have a son named after one of my greatest friends!"

The miniature figure in the small recording paused again. "There is so much I want to tell him; so much for him to learn about who he is. It seems that scan of my consciousness you convinced me to do years ago, after I fled Ealdor, won't be needed for a 'possible rebirth of my kind.' I will get to tell him myself...Get to teach him..."

The pride in Balinor's voice brought tears to Merlin's eyes. He felt his emotions choking him, but it was a good feeling. He had always hoped his father had been happy to meet him, but their time together had been so limited, that Merlin had questioned if the connection they had shared was real.

"He's barely coming of age for my kind, and I can't tell if he has any of the gifts. I intend to search out and retrieve the last dragon egg, so that young Merlin can try to summon it. There was a man, a few years back, who infiltrated my cave. He stole the piece of the Triskelion that Askanar had given me. I can't believe I was so stupid to leave it in such an obvious place. I fear that if he was able to find me, then he has already located the rest of the pieces, as well. If something has happened to it...Well, I'll teach my son what I can, and if he and Kilgharrah agree, I will pass along my bond to him.

"Would you believe, my son is a servant of Uther's?" Balinor was telling the recorder, suddenly changing the subject. "I sincerely hope Arthur doesn't become like his father. I sense something around the two of them...my son and Arthur...that I can't even put into words. Perhaps, this is the time Kilgharrah spoke of. Even the druids have prophecies that mirror what that old lizard told me. Although, I have no doubt that Kilgharrah helped propagate those stories.

"I am heading to Camelot with them, though I don't know what I shall find there. I can feel Kilgharrah's rage burning inside of me. He was the one who convinced me to accept Uther's offer of peace... I suppose now, he regrets that decision." Balinor sighed softly, his shoulders falling as the memories descended upon him. "...But, if we hadn't, and I hadn't fled afterwards, I wouldn't have met my beautiful Hunith. I suppose she might be old enough for me now. What do you think?" He winked at the recording device.

Merlin couldn't help but smile at the memory that had been shared with him of his mother and Balinor.

"If you get this message, old friend, I need you to find the chalice for me. I plan on getting out of this alive. When I do, I will marry her properly, if she'll still have me. I should have done it years ago."

Shaking off his nostalgia, Balinor forced his smile to return. "I'll be transmitting this to you, as soon as I turn it off. It may be some time before I contact you again, as I have no idea what my son would say to the idea of this technology, when he's used to living in under a king who would view it as 'evil' magic. Hopefully, though, he will learn to accept it, and not think of me as a blithering, old fool, whose brains have rotted away in that cave."

The miniature Balinor disappeared, and an old man's face suddenly appeared. It seemed to be Moros speaking, as if it was the journal again. "That was the last transmission from Balinor. I was elated when I had received it, and I waited for weeks for him to show up. When it was obvious he wasn't coming, I left the cave to find him. Sadly, I only found his grave. I believe his son still lives. Although, I doubt the boy has any idea who or what he is. Rumor has it, however, that the prince somehow slew the dragon upon their return to Camelot."

The old man's eyes crinkled with mirth. "I know for a fact, it is not that easy to outright kill a dragon, nor should it have been so easy to kill a Dragon Lord. I can only assume, that Balinor passed his bond to his son, if the boy had shown any promise, and that...at the time...there was no other option.

"I wish there was some way to bring my friend back, but even if I had access to my cloning equipment, the genetic markers in the Furling DNA have prevented such things in the past...especially with the bonding. I did manage to extract a few viable cells from Balinor's body, near the memory centers of the brain. I am running diagnostics on them now. Perhaps, I can find a way to add those recent memories into the scan of Balinor's consciousness, and somehow manage to get them to his son."

The old man disappeared.

Merlin sat back and stared at the wall. Something among Balinor's words confused him; the thing about the chalice and marrying Hunith. He recalled the other memories he'd experienced of his parents. Balinor had said that marriage to a Dragon Lord was more than just a priest saying a few words.

Arthur and the others should have reached the planet with the library by this time. He hoped the book was still there, and that maybe there was some sort of answer in it. Tapping the console, Merlin decided to move on.

Moros' face reappeared, in another message, recorded over a year later.

"Taliesin has been taken off-line. It saddens me. It felt almost like saying goodbye to him again. He is still in the system, but after the error...Well, I guess even artificially intelligent copies of very old men can be subject to their own eccentricities." He laughed at his own inside joke.

"I did not receive the alert that Balinor's son was near the cave, until well after the fact. I have to admit my surprise when I realized that I had seen the boy before...on the shores of Avalon, through my security system that I use to monitor the Sidhe.

"I keep hoping that I can find out from one of them if there are, in fact, any other dragons left in Celestis...but I digress...

"The first I saw of the boy, he was actually destroying two of the Sidhe who had managed to escape. I don't know how or why... I doubt if they even had a clue, having been born after their people's initial arrival.

"Those Sidhe are quite fascinating. They all have the innate desire to destroy anything that might have to do with the dragons...but, other than that, they appear to have lost any sense of self, or more likely, they have never had it in the first place...and without the Ori to tell them what to do, they have developed their own odd hierarchy and mythology. They have also enlisted the..."

The voice of the recording stopped, and the view of Moros' face was frozen.

Merlin groaned and rubbed his eyes. The amount of times Moros would go off on some sort of lecture in his recordings was nearly unheard of.

"Oh, thank God!" Mickey said in relief. "I thought  _you_  had a tendency to ramble on forever, at times. I'm rather glad you don't take after your namesake in that aspect, though."

"Thanks...I think." He was evaluating his young friend out of the corner of his eye. The corner of his mouth crept upwards. If there was one thing the centuries had taught him, it was patience...and how to listen for long periods of time. Moros' droning lectures were nothing compared to some of the others Merlin had listened to, throughout history. At the very least, the topics Moros spoke of were of interest to the old warlock.

Despite Merlin's desire to agree with Mickey, he knew his best bet for figuring things out laid within these journals. However, he could mark the place about the Sidhe and go back to it later if need be. Other aspects, including how Balinor's likeness had come to be in the cave, took center stage in Merlin's mind for the time being.

Skipping ahead a few frames, Merlin finally found a point in the recording that returned to Moros' observations of him. He hit 'play' again, and sat back to listen to how the old alien had found the sword that Merlin had thrown into the lake. The old alien's eyes twinkled with glee, and he hinted about his research on the blade. However, unfortunately for Merlin, Moros did not actually dive into that subject on this recording.

A picture was brought up of a pretty, young maiden. She had dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes. Merlin stared in utter fascination.

"She's cute. Wonder who she is?" The younger man asked with a teasing smile on his face.

"That's...uh..." He cursed silently. For the life of him, he still wasn't able to recall her name. "She was my first love."

"This is Freya." The recording said, as if in answer to Mickey's question. Moros went on to explain how he felt the girl, or at least her likeness, could be used to assist him. If he had his equipment from Atlantis, he could have cloned a body without the magical manipulation she had suffered. She obviously meant something to the boy who had destroyed two of the Sidhe awhile back, and who had somehow come into possession of a blade forged by a dragon. "...There was just something about that boy, even then, before I knew he was Balinor's son."

"After I discovered who he was, I began following him. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Kilgharrah was still very much alive. I tried to contact the dragon, but without Balinor, the creature wanted nothing to do with me.

Merlin 'fast forwarded' again and finally found the part he was looking for. Moros was, at last, continuing his explanation of why Merlin had first seen Taliesin at the Crystal Cave, and then later, Balinor. It appeared 'Taliesin' had not done exactly what Moros had hoped. While the image of the man, who Merlin now knew was one of the first Dragon Lords on Earth, had indeed guided Merlin to the cave, Taliesin had been programmed to assume that any future generations' arrivals already had a basic understanding of what they were walking into.

After disabling the Taliesin program, and re-configuring the settings of the holographic bandits as a defense measure, Moros had then taken the scans from Balinor, along with the memory cells recovered after Balinor's death, and built a new program in. It was one that would...hopefully...recognize Merlin the next time the boy came to the cave, and help him by doing something other than throwing random images of possible futures, extrapolated through the crystals and instilled into Merlin's mind.

Merlin spent a few more hours going through Moros' recordings. Just as he was about to quit for a while, he came upon one that made him smile, and think of his friends.

Moros had been called back to the cave by his defense program, because the Stargate had been activated. The recording showed the security footage of one of the SGC teams coming into the Gate Room. The playback skipped to a later time, when the SG team was going back through the Gate. A backboard was slung between two of the men. Merlin saw Sir Gwaine strapped to it, and Sir Percival was walking close by, holding white bandages to his shoulder. One of the Marines in the footage was arguing with the larger man, attempting to get the large knight to stay, but at the last possible second, Percival dove through the Gate after them.

"I was distracted and didn't arrive in time to be any assistance. The boy..." He said, referring back to Merlin. "...Had accessed the cave, sometime before this, and the program of Balinor seemed to have done its job. Although, the boy was in too much of a hurry, with battle quickly approaching, to sit around and listen to history lessons.

"After which, I was on Avalon, preparing for King Arthur's arrival. I had hoped to have been able to heal him after the battle, but things were a bit more complicated than I had anticipated..." Moros stopped. He sat back and seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

"Huh...I wonder if..." The old man in the recording leaned forward and shut off the journaling device.

To Merlin's despair, it was the last message in the files.

"What do you think he meant?"

Merlin shook his head forlornly. "I wish I knew. But, I'll bet whatever he figured out, is on the device that the Asgard have."

The phone began playing the tones again. Merlin sighed and powered it off.

"You know, I can't remember the last time I saw you do your katas and such." Mickey commented.

"That's actually not a bad idea. You know, since Arthur's been around, I have fallen out of practice."

"Yeah, I noticed you haven't been quite the Zen Master you used to be. There were days when Martha would tell me you'd spent hours just doing Tai Chi."

With Arthur's return, it had been difficult for Merlin to meditate like he used to...like he'd been taught to. He worked with the former king, attempting to train him in the use of martial arts. Arthur had picked up the moves easily enough, but the quiet stillness of sitting and finding his center, or even working through the slow, fluid motions of a kata, were lost on the man. When Merlin attempted to do them on his own, he found that he was easily distracted by Arthur's needs and adjustment to the new time period. Without realizing it, Merlin had somehow lost a piece of himself in all the fervor of the knights' return. Snickering, Merlin stood up and stretched, "Perhaps, you're right. Other than Boyd's funeral, I can't recall the last time I even took my Cessna out for a quick flight."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend flying in your condition, but since it's just us here...take some time for yourself, man. You owe it to yourself, I reckon."

Merlin gave a brief nod to his young friend, thanking him for the wisdom, and moved off to the room where he had discovered more of his power before Camlann. The radiant energy of the crystals fed into his need for peace.

He thought about Aithusa. If he concentrated, he could reach out and mentally touch the dragon; proof that the Supergate's connection was still active. If he was able to focus on himself and find his own center once again, then perhaps, he mused, he could send some of that to the dragon; let Aithusa know that he wasn't alone, and that Merlin was planning on coming for him...as soon as he figured out how.

The darker man watched his ancient friend meander off. He waited until he was sure Merlin had begun his routine, before snatching up Merlin's phone. Turning it on, he hit the 'redial' button, and called Martha. He could have used his own phone, he realized, as it began to ring on the other end, but why waste his own minutes, when it was Merlin who was having the issues.

* * *

The muscles across his shoulders tightened the moment the beam faded around them. He found his hand fingering the grip of his sword, anticipating an attack. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Leon and Percival doing the same. They waited quietly, eyes scanning the village ahead of them, and the forest behind.

When nothing immediately happened, they finally allowed themselves to breathe. "There's something different about the village." Arthur told his knights. He couldn't place what it was, but the ill feeling sank into his stomach.

Following their king's lead, the three men made their way to the stone walls of the settlement.

"They look like they suffered an attack." Percival observed, "Do you think the Ori...?"

"No," said Leon. He had seen this type of aftermath too many times before. He fingered a darkened mark on one of the walls, explaining to the others what he saw, "...Staff blast...from a Jaffa weapon. Whoever attacked here was Goa'uld."

They made their way through the streets. Men and women in various states of mourning and rebuilding viewed them with suspicion. There was no sign of Governor Meurik, or any of the other elders, as the knights moved toward the library.

"Let us find Merlin's backpack and be gone from here." Arthur said through a hitch in his voice. He wanted to stay and help these people. He could see the accusation in their eyes; that they believed it was the Tau'ri who had brought the suffering upon them. However, he had already seen the destruction the Ori had wrought on others. This was nothing compared to that, and he knew the best way to help the people of this village, and of their planet, was to find the answers to defeating the Ori first.

When they reached the street with the library, Arthur's heart dropped. The building had been torched. The entrance to the secret chamber was laid wide open, and he could tell with just a glance, that anything left inside was either ruined or unimportant. Even so, the three men began sifting through the debris, hoping to find something worthwhile.

"King Arthur?" A girl's voice asked.

Arthur turned around and saw the girl who had assisted them on his previous visit. "Valencia, right?"

She curtsied and nodded, "I know the others don't believe you are the real King, but I do...especially after you defeated the Black Knight."

Smiling, Arthur thanked her and then asked, "What happened here?"

"After you left, another man arrived with an army of men dressed in armor. He said his name was Ba'al..."

Arthur heard Leon inhale sharply. Ignoring his knight for the moment, he motioned for Valencia to continue.

"...and that he was looking for the weapon. The Governor brought him to the library when he was threatened. When Ba'al couldn't find what he was looking for, he ordered his men to attack the village."

He turned back to the rubble of the library. "Damn. I'm sorry for your losses."

The girl gave him a shy smile.

"Merlin's pack was left in here. It must have been destroyed." He told his knights.

"Merlin?" Valencia asked, "I thought your friend's name was Colonel Emrys."

"It is...a long story. But, he is known by both names." He didn't want, nor did he know how, to explain the differences between the Ancient Merlin and his Merlin. Luckily, that didn't seem to matter to the girl.

"Well, then..." She started, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It is a good thing I hid his pack after you all were magically transported away."

* * *

The kids were gone. The men were gone. The house was hers, and she no longer had to worry about going to work. It was like a dream come true. She was still in awe of how quickly she had been able to gain full custody, and she had to admit that having a rich relative in the wings was a definite plus on that front.

Other than the occasional realtor stopping by, the only other person who had been to the house was a seventeen-year-old neighbor, who had been looking for some work during Spring Break. Laney hired him and a friend of his to help with the chores, while everyone else was away.

Sighing blissfully, she walked through her clean house, thinking that perhaps she could indulge herself by playing one of the silly online games she had heard others talk about. There was one that had recently cropped up involving candy...and who was she to say 'no' to something involving candy. The doorbell ring caught her off-guard. Laney looked at her watch. She wasn't expecting someone for at least another hour.

The first realtor she had met with seemed to be the best, but when she had called him to offer him the listing, he had explained that due to personal reasons, he was going to be moving soon himself. He then offered for her to work with another man in his brokerage, who would give her the same terms he had presented. Wanting to meet with the new agent first, Laney had set it up for that afternoon.

She made her way to the door, assuming that it was probably the agent arriving ahead of schedule.

Opening the door with a smile, she was greeted by a man who looked more like a CEO of some Fortune 500 company, than a country real estate agent. He was about six feet tall, short dark hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. His suit was definitely not some off-the-rack model from Sears, as it was tailored for a perfect fit on his swimmer-style body. "Hi, you must be the agent Michael recommended."

He smiled, and there was something in his dark eyes that gave Laney the creeps. "Of course! Forgive me for being early. I hope you don't mind." He said pleasantly enough, in an accented voice.

For a moment, Laney debated on telling him to come back at another time, or even not at all. Instead though, she stomped down her misgivings and stepped back to allow him into the house. According to the previous agent, this man was supposedly known for being one of the best realtors in the business. Despite her trepidation, she wanted the house sold, and if it took working with a sleazy high-end car salesman-type to do it, she was willing to put up with a few odd feelings.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proofread by Nance...who is no longer a puffin. A magical alien device has now morphed her into a prairie dog :P. Flow read by IcarusLSU, who warned that tissues might be needed for the end of this chapter.

The front door was ajar...which wasn't exactly odd, but his mother hadn't picked up the phone for the last two days. While climbing on some rocks, Toby's friend had slipped and broken his arm; effectively cutting the vacation short.

"Mom?" He called out, and received no response. Apprehension set in on his young shoulders. Her purse was on the table near the door, along with her keys. The car was in the drive...all the signs said she should have been home. Then, he saw something…left on the kitchen table. It looked like a fancy tablet computer. He picked it up and a man's voice, with a deep metallic ring to it, like it had been put through some weird voice changer, spoke to him.

He listened, and his hands began to shake. Carefully placing the tablet back on the table, Toby moved back to the front door. He put on a smile and waved at his friend's parents, who were still waiting in their car, signaling that it was okay for them to leave.

Their van headed out the driveway, and he moved back to the kitchen. It took a few minutes to decide what to do, but calling his Uncle Gwaine seemed to be the only logical choice in this situation.

* * *

_"MOM TRBL! HLP!"_

Gwaine read the text from his nephew twice, trying to decipher the meaning of it.

"Is something wrong, Major Dallon?" Woolsey asked. His clipped tones illustrated the impatience evident on his face. "…Or are we boring you, perhaps?"

"Sorry. Uh..." He was trying to wrap his head around what kind of trouble his sister could have landed herself in, and wasn't paying attention to the conversation. The past three days had been taken up with meetings of all sorts. Some were questioning him about Morgana; others on Arthur and the knights. An inquiry had been made about the sword, and the most pressing question...at least for the British Officials...where in the world was Colonel Emyrs?

There were representatives present from not only various Earth nations, but there was also an Asgard and even a Nox. The Tollan, the Tok'ra, the Free Jaffa, and other races had also made their presence known. The rumors of the re-emergence of King Arthur and Merlin were spreading like wildfire throughout the galaxy. The wanted to bring back the Great Alliance; renewed and refreshed for the new era.

Despite the protests of the Earth representatives, the others wanted to meet King Arthur, and based on the legends alone, wanted him to be the representative of not only the Tau'ri, but of the many other human civilizations spread throughout the Milky Way. Gwaine could envision Arthur going on a tirade about that detail, but he knew in the end, it was probably the perfect opportunity for the man to do what he was most familiar with, and bring peace between kingdoms.

"Can we take a break?" Gwaine asked, his mind clearly on the text he had received. He held up his phone and smiled weakly.

Across from him sat General O'Neill. Gwaine had known him as Colonel O'Neill from the beginning of the Stargate Program. The man was a legend. During his tenure as the leader of SG-1, he'd caused more trouble, created more problems, and also saved the lives of more people than anyone could count. He looked much older than Gwaine remembered, even though it had been over eight years since he had seen the man. O'Neill was now in charge of overseeing the various military aspects of what had become a massive program to ensure Earth's defenses against alien threats. This included not only the Stargate, but also the Atlantis Base, Area 51, and more; all were run from the central offices at the Pentagon.

For all his promotions and responsibilities, Gwaine noticed one thing...O'Neill hadn't changed a bit. Sure, he wasn't rushing through the Stargate on a weekly basis to save the world and insult alien intelligence, but when it came to listening to politicians dredging for any fault they could find, or tidbit of information to help secure the next election, he was downright bored.

At Gwaine's question, the General suddenly perked up. His dark brown eyes bordered on manic delight. "A break? Ya, sure. You betcha! I think this is perfect timing." Before anyone could question, the General was out of his seat and through the door. "I'm gonna grab some coffee? Anyone else want coffee?"

He didn't stick around to hear a response, or Woolsey's feeble attempt to point out the carafes sitting on the table. Straightening his tie, the Harvard-taught representative of the IOA tried to regain his composure. "I think fifteen minutes should suffice."

Snickering, Gwaine patted Woolsey's shoulder, as he stood and followed the path O'Neill had blazed toward the door. Once outside, he called his nephew. The rambling stream of incoherent sentences and panic was so unlike Toby, that Gwaine just listened, "Hey...slow down. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Mom's gone!"

"What do mean, 'she's gone'? Where the hell is she?"

"I got home early and she's not here…Car is here and her purse…House was open, and there are two coffees on the table, along with some weird computer thing."

Gwaine's lip twitched and he blinked rapidly. "Toby, are you absolutely sure she's not there?"

"YES!"

"Alright, let me make a call. I can't get there right now." His mind was whirling and he couldn't breathe, but he needed to be strong for his nephew. From sixteen hundred miles away, there wasn't much he could do on the spur of the moment. Quickly, he hung up and started to call Mitchell. He cursed when it was the voicemail that answered. He'd forgotten that SG-1 was heading out that morning to check on one of the planets Dr. Jackson had located through a book he remembered, from the library on the planet Camelot.

Just as he was about to call Carolyn, another text arrived from Toby. Gwaine could have killed the kid. " _Found her. In barn. LOL"_

"Is everything alright Major?"

Gwaine turned to see General O'Neill holding out a cup of coffee. He accepted it graciously. "Thank you, Sir. Yeah. Everything's fine now...although, there is a teenager who isn't going to be, once I get home."

O'Neill's eyes twinkled with mischief. "So...you need to get home ASAP to deal with...whatever it is?"

"Uh..."

Nodding quickly, O'Neill answered for him. "Yeah, ya do. Trust me..." His dark brown eyes turned toward the meeting room. They were crazed and wide when he looked back at Gwaine. "Trust me...we all need to get out of there."

* * *

A few hours later, Gwaine and Woolsey were touching down on the tarmac in Colorado Springs. It had been enough time for Gwaine to thoroughly plot how to make a certain teenager's life a living hell. After finally speaking with his sister, Gwaine had found out she was out past the barn, showing the land to the realtor, and letting him take some pictures for marketing.

They made their way first to the SGC, where Woolsey was taken aside and sent to play a part in a psychiatric evaluation of Vala Mal Doran. SG-1 was stuck on the planet that Dr. Jackson had discovered during the short time on the Camelot planet. Gwaine was grateful that he had missed out on it, as the name of the planet, 'Vagonbrei,' had somehow come from the Welsh variation of the legends of Sir Gawain.

As per usual, SG-1 was now quarantined, along with the specialized medical 'Red Team', which had been put together recently to deal with inoculating the populations of other worlds against the Prior virus. Carolyn was donning a hazmat suit, just as he entered the infirmary. He could see the sadness in her eyes, as they shared a quick hello, before she was running off to the planet with a full medical team to try and save the lives of SG-1. The members of Red Team had already fallen to whatever parasite had infected them.

There was never a dull day at the office in this place, Gwaine mused. He smirked to himself. He was counting down the days until he was officially free of the place. In just a few weeks, he would be able to hang up his uniform and grow his hair out again. He wondered if Merlin possibly had a spell to assist him with the latter.

* * *

"Hello?" She called out, carefully navigating her way through the forest. She had managed to make her way to the campsite where she had last seen her husband. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Mickey's smiling face appeared over the crest of a small hill, from a depression that was once a stream bed. He wrapped his friend in a warm embrace. "Did you...?" Before he had finished the question, she was holding out a bag, filled with food. "Oh, you are an angel!"

Martha laughed, as he dug through the bag to find a candy bar. "How's...how is Merlin?"

"Better! He doesn't know you're here, yet. Come on. I think it'd be good for him to see you…even if he doesn't agree." Mickey mumbled around a mouth full of chocolate.

The two chatted as Mickey led their way to the cave. Martha's face looked just as stunned as the others had been, when they first caught sight of the crystalline structures. They navigated the stairs to the rooms where the two men had taken up temporary residence.

"He's been able to do a lot of his Zen stuff here. So, I think that's helped him." Mickey explained. Merlin wasn't in the outer room, but as they passed through the archway into the main room with the Gate and the controls, Martha stared in awe. Merlin stood with his back to them at one of the control panels. He looked so at home. Everything about him and the room, meshed together and appeared almost as natural as when she had seen the Doctor and the Tardis for the first time. "Food delivery!"

Merlin turned around, his smile faltered when he saw Martha.

Mickey glanced between them before excusing himself back to the previous room.

"You look better." Martha offered, breaking the silent tension. Her dark eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

Merlin nodded somberly, before turning back to what he was working on.

Hesitantly, she moved up next to him.

He was so quiet, as if his entire being was like the still water of a pristine lake, just waiting for someone to throw a pebble in and disrupt the peacefulness. But, there was a darkness under the calm waters and Martha wanted to be that stone. She wanted to be a whole landslide, crashing down to get the biggest reaction she possibly could. She wished for nothing more than to see the man who she had married, to come bouncing back out of his depression. Her longing for the passionate, old soul who not only persevered, but thrived on all that life had to offer, burned inside of her.

She had a feeling though, that after the last time she was rebuked by him, she needed to take it slow. Martha asked simply. "Can I help with anything?"

Merlin paused. He stared at his hands, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I don't know who I am, anymore."

Slipping her left hand on top of his, she threaded her fingers through his, their wedding bands resting on top of one another. After a moment, his fingers tightened around hers. He lifted their joined hands and pressed the back of her's against his lips. It was chaste and simple, but thinly veiled underneath was a sense of connection…of forgiveness and apology…and a hint of the man she had fallen in love with. "You are..." She began softly. "...Utterly insane, if you think just a few weeks of family history can completely wipe out the life you have built for yourself. So what? Things change. What I do know, is that beneath all this self-doubt and pain, is my husband. Somewhere in there…Don't suppose you've seen him?"

He finally turned his eyes to look at her. Smiling, he took a breath and prepared to say something...

"Now would be the perfect time to show us some of your poetry skills, I would imagine." Arthur's cocky voice rang through the cavernous room.

Merlin's mouth snapped closed. His eyes shifted immediately to the doorway. The fingers of his right hand pressed a button, and he watched with satisfaction as a metal door, hidden in the wall, slid by in front of his friend's face.

Clapping her hands over her mouth, Martha managed to stifle her sudden outburst of laughter. Her hands fell when Merlin suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His lips touched hers in a soft kiss. She hummed and smiled, pressing her forehead against his. They stood together for a while, just relishing the other's presence. It had been too long since she had felt his touch; his presence and mind actually with her, and not distracted by the rest of the world. "Ready to tell me what's been going on with you?" Martha asked, pulling away to look into his eyes.

"I don't know if I could begin to explain it. Most of what I have learned, barely even makes sense to me." He stepped back, but kept a hold of her hand, leading her over to a bench near a wall.

* * *

Arthur stared at the solid door in front of him, completely put off by having had it closed in his face. Mickey was snickering, while Leon and Percival were pretending not to notice.

"Of course, we go halfway across the galaxy to get a book that idiot left behind..."

"Arthur, it was hardly halfway," protested Leon.

"...The point is, we come back with it for him, and he slams the door on me!"

"…And how many doors have you shut in his face over the years?" Percival asked, attempting to smother his own amusement. He coughed and shifted uncomfortably under the sudden glare he received, "Sorry, Sire."

"No, you're not!" Mickey corrected. He turned to Arthur. "So, let's see this book. Maybe I can figure something out about it, or at least, get it scanned into the database while those two are finally trying to kiss and make up."

* * *

"I know I haven't made anything easier, by trying to continue working. I should have been there for you more." Martha said, after a few moments. "So, I've made a decision."

He watched her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I'm quitting UNIT."

"Martha..."

"No. I'm done. I can't live in New York, and work there...or wherever they decide to fly me next...while you're all over here!"

Sighing heavily, he wasn't sure how to explain to Martha what he had heard from Gwaine. It was something he hadn't actually considered. Finally, he stood up and walked over to the main console. "UNIT wants me back. They would like me to head up a team out of Stargate Command."

She turned him to face her. "So...after all this, you'd be moving to Colorado?"

"No." He answered immediately. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Camelot, or the land that once was Camelot, was his home; the place he had always called home, even when he had lived in China. "No...and besides, I'm not a leader, Martha."

"What if Arthur wants to..."

There was a hesitance in her voice, and he cringed. The last thing he had ever wanted was for a rift to develop between his past with Arthur, and his future with her. Yet, it almost seemed to be the inevitable conclusion. What would he do, if Arthur wanted to take up UNIT and the IOA on their offer? It was a question he had been asking himself, since he received the phone call from Gwaine. Would he follow his king, or now that Martha was willing to give up her job for the sake of their relationship, would he choose to focus on that aspect of his life?

"I don't know." He whispered. Merlin watched as her shoulders fell. His throat tightened. It was never his intention to cause her pain, or to mislead her, but he felt as if he had unwittingly done just that. "There are things I need to take care of, Martha, before any decision about our future can be made."

"Like what? Did your first wife suddenly come back as well?" She knew her tone was sharper than she had originally intended it to be, and she squirmed under the coldness that appeared in his gaze. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just...I wish I could somehow know more about your life back then. Maybe it would help me to understand the gap between us."

Merlin huffed through his nostrils and nodded his head. Her words resounded within him. There seemed to be only one way to try and remedy the situation. He placed his hand on the gel of the control panel. The holographic display came to life. It was an older man with long, dark hair and a salt-and-pepper beard. "Martha, meet your in-laws. This was my father, Balinor." Another image came to life of a young woman at first, and then the same woman, but much older. "That was Hunith...my mother. The first image was from my father's memories...the second one, from mine."

"I wish could have met them."

Merlin nodded, "Would you like to see Mithian?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to take that step. So, he left the decision up to her.

Biting her lip, Martha held her breath for a few seconds. He'd told her stories of his life with Mithian, and she had admitted her curiosity. But, faced with the actual possibility, it became a completely different scenario. He was opening up to her though, and she wasn't about to let the opportunity pass her by. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

She could see the slight trembling of his fingers, as he pressed the control again. Martha gasped, when she saw the brunette princess, and the two young children from Merlin's memory.

He didn't bother to try and hide the emotions that had swelled up in him. There were days when his grief was immeasurable, but he had been able to push through it, and had moved on with his life. The remnants of his past in front of him now, brought his heartache back in a way he never imagined. He stared at Mithian's smiling face through the onslaught of tears, and then, he felt Martha's hand. Her fingers interlaced with his, asking him silently to come back to her.

She was crying too, sharing his grief. "They're beautiful."

He took his hand off the control, and turned to Martha. Merlin could almost hear Mithian's voice in his mind, urging him to move past the pain. She would have found the perfect words to help him. She always had. His mind drifted to Ning, and others he had loved through his years. Merlin didn't think he could handle seeing anymore faces from his past. With his thoughts drifting to his present with Martha, he reached out to caress her cheek with the backs of his curled fingers. Martha had her own gifts, as well...when he allowed himself to listen.

"I miss you, Merlin." She choked out, leaning into his palm.

Merlin had first allowed himself to become consumed with Arthur, and then, everything that had happened in space. He'd almost forgotten her; pushed her to the back of his mind and made excuses for his heart. Mithian would have been rolling in her grave, if she knew how he'd been behaving. "I miss you."

He pulled his hand away and reached for the control again, coming to a decision. The image that came up caused his breath to hitch. A white dragon appeared; small and bright. "That was Aithusa, when he was hatched." The image changed to show a larger dragon that seemed more like a nightmarish creature. Merlin squeezed Martha's hand; seeking strength and comfort.

"That was what he looked like the last time I saw him. I need to find him, Martha. He and I...are connected. He's in another galaxy. He's dying there...and I'm dying too. I failed him. I failed my people..." His sudden bark of sardonic laughter caught Martha off-guard. "I'm the last of my people..."

Martha stiffened, and her fingers clamped tighter around his. He looked at her quizzically.

She faltered for a moment, before she straightened her shoulders and met his eyes. "There is another reason I am quitting UNIT."

The statement seemed so out of the blue, that for an instant Merlin actually felt anger at her for changing the topic. Then, she moved his hand and placed it just below her belly button.

Merlin's eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief, as he began to understand. A large lump formed in his throat when he felt it...the stirring of a new life from within her. His gaze drifted down, and he felt his knees give way; sinking onto the floor.

A  _child,_  on top of everything else he was facing...For a brief moment, it scared him more than all the rest of the issues combined. Then, he wrapped his arms around her hips, and felt her fingers as they threaded through his hair. Pressing his face into her abdomen, Merlin held his wife, and cried.


	11. Chapter 11

_"Let your love flow outward through the universe,_

_To its height, its depth, its broad extent,_

_A limitless love, without hatred or enmity._

_Then as you stand or walk,_

_Sit or lie down,_

_As long as you are awake,_

_Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;_

_Your life will bring heaven to earth."_

_~Sutta Nipata_

* * *

One breath in; one breath out. Slowly and methodically, he positioned his hands, and felt his body move as one, twisting slightly to the side. One foot turned on its heel, and then rocked forward, onto the ball. The other foot lifted. His leg continued in the fluidity of the movement, stepping out to the side and steadying himself where it fell. One breath in; one breath out. Mickey had been correct. This was exactly what Merlin needed. Finding his center; a position from which to ground himself.

Martha was right. Nothing he had learned over the past months could erase the core of who he was. He brought his forearms against his chest. His hands were positioned around the invisible ball of energy between his palms. One breath in, as he drew it closer, and one breath out, as he gently pushed it away. It swelled in size, as his hands parted, before it was brought back to his center...once again, small and manageable.

After his tears had run their course, Martha had asked him if leaving the cave would hurt him. He didn't know. He hadn't tested the possibility.

Before his wife had arrived, Merlin had sat in meditation, sending healing energy he received via the crystals, through the link he shared along the threads of life, to Aithusa. The action, at first seemed to infuriate the dragon, but little by little, it had been accepted...and then the link had been cut off. Unlike before, Merlin was still able to sense Aithusa, but he instinctively knew that something had happened at the Supergate. His connection was stretched back to what it had been before the Gate was opened.

Breathe in; breathe out. He felt the coming dawn more acutely than he had in decades...tuning himself in...past the pain...past the uncertainty. Smiling, he felt his movements being mirrored. While his partner couldn't reach the full depth he could, she was still much better at concentrating on the routine than Arthur was. He'd forgotten how comforting it was to share in the silence of the moment, with someone who appreciated the nuances of the katas of Tai Chi.

Arthur was a warrior, and the routines were geared toward survival and leadership. With a weapon in his hand, he could focus. Without one, the former First Knight of Camelot seemed a bit lost. Although, Merlin could tell his friend was in awe of the bare-handed fighting styles, Arthur still joked about a real man needing a sword.

Arthur and the others had arrived back at the cave, just after Martha. While the man had accepted Merlin as an equal, to Arthur it meant that he treated Merlin just as he did his knights...with the same jokes, horseplay, and banter when they were outside of any dire situation.

Merlin knew much of it stemmed from Arthur's continued insecurities. Although, the former king did well to bury them. A few months could not erase the life he lived before the stasis.

When the door finally opened, Arthur was livid about being shut out. Merlin had been the one true constant, even more than Gwen. Like a petulant child, he fell back to his old ways of making himself the center of attention.

Merlin had been ready to share in his and Martha's new-found fortune. Instead, he grabbed his wife's hand, hollered at Mickey to hold down the fort, snatched up his coat, and left.

Feeling himself beginning to tense with the train of thought, Merlin focused back inward and allowed the release of his breath to carry the irritation away.

They walked through the forest, dappled with shadows and light, in the late afternoon. They reached the area of the camp, when Merlin decided that he'd had enough of walking. He was feeling better than he had for a while. Using the spoken language of magic, which seemed to take less out of him, he whisked them away to the house. He had seen the concern in her eyes, but was grateful that she didn't voice them. The slight wave of dizziness quickly diminished, as they re-appeared in their bedroom.

Her breath matched his own, slow and rhythmic, while they continued to move.

First on his list, after returning home, was a hot bath...which felt glorious. The warm food afterward, was delicious, and a night spent in a lover's embrace was just the thing he needed.

There was no Arthur, nor Gwen, nor Aurie around to distract them. No knights popping in and out. Merlin didn't even realize he had forgotten his phone in the Crystal Cave until that very moment. The whole night was quiet.

He bit down a chuckle. Well, perhaps not exactly quiet...Martha certainly wasn't holding back in voicing her pleasure at having her husband all to herself.

They laid together, wrapped around each other, after their lovemaking. Merlin began to tell Martha all that he had learned. For the first time, he truly opened up to her about the white dragon.

On his next intake of breath, he caught a whiff of her scent...brought to him by the gentle breeze that caused the leaves in the gardens below to sing a whispered hymn of the coming morning...floral and citrus.

His exhalation sent many of his worries out into the dawn. The future was no longer the uncertainty of 'what might come'...as Martha pointed out...like it had been when Gwaine was first brought back to this time period.

One year or one-hundred years; she said she would be by his side. The child growing within her was a glorious miracle, and it served to pull him even farther out of the hole that he still felt inside him.

It was still there, that darkness, but he had been given a reprieve. It now had a reason and a name...Aithusa...Merlin's first child, in a sense...and the dragon needed him. There was a new focus, a new purpose to his life, and above all, he mused silently...reaching out with his magic to brush the brand new life thread within Martha...a reason to want to live.

* * *

"You're not Merlin!" The voice said sarcastically from the other end of the phone that Arthur had answered.

"No, I'm not... _Gwaine_." Arthur voiced, with an equal amount of cheek.

The Marine snorted, "Well, good thing I needed to talk to you, too. Listen...we've had a few interesting things happen around here. First, my friend, you are going to get to do what you do best. Did Merlin fill you in?"

Scowling at the wall, Arthur smacked his lips together. Merlin had opened the door and come out of the main Gate Room, with his hand in Martha's. His eyes were rimmed with red from tears, but he had a smile on his face. The warlock had started to say something, but Arthur...believing what he had to say trumped the emotional situation...had interrupted and took charge of the conversation. Merlin had glared at the former king, and left the caverns with his wife.

"No. He did not get a chance to."

"Right, then..." Arthur could hear the question in Gwaine's tone. The silent accusation of: 'what did you do now?' hung in the air. Gwaine asked who else was around, and Arthur told him. "Put me on speaker, will ya? I need to fill you all in on this."

After doing as Gwaine instructed, the four men gathered around the phone to listen. He told them about the IOA and UNIT situation, and also explained how...because of the mythology...Arthur was going to be asked to represent the humans throughout the galaxy. For a moment, Arthur found himself feeling a bit overwhelmed, and unsure of how to respond. Deep inside himself, he suddenly began to realize what it was that destiny had planned for him.

He had been born on Earth, and he had ruled a great kingdom; one with people who had lived in a way many others in the galaxy currently did. His upbringing and training without modern technology allowed him to empathise with the way those others lived, in a way unlike the rest of the Tau'ri.

He looked at Leon...his right hand...a man who had been thrown into life with advances far beyond what Arthur could imagine, and taught by the Asgard. Then, there was Gwaine; a man who was from this place and time...a midway point, almost, between how life had been and what was out there in space, including the introduction of Merlin to the evasive Nox.

Percival had helped to bridge the gap, quietly accepting whatever life handed to him, and reminding the former king that he was not alone in his anxieties of the changing world.

Mickey...well, Arthur hadn't been able to figure him out just yet, but his quirks and desire to be a part of something greater stood out like a beacon.

Arthur had yet to see Lancelot, who had accepted Ascension, and thus become one of the revered Ancients, who had seeded much of the life throughout this galaxy. However, he didn't doubt the word of the others as to the knight's fate.

Then, there was Merlin. Arthur had been told the stories about the Great Alliance, and humanity being "The Fifth Race." The fourth one was the Furling…thought to have disappeared, or became extinct long ago. Now, they knew that wasn't the case.

They were all links in the chain...the commonality that could bring many of the various peoples of this galaxy together. Thanks to the rumors and stories of Arthur's personal past, it was a common thread that brought together many of the humans...whether from Earth, or out among the stars. His knights, now including Merlin, provided the connections he would need to reach out to the others.

The other men watched as a visible change came over Arthur, while his thoughts played out. Since his return, Arthur...despite his best efforts...had appeared somewhat lost in the world. He had clung to Merlin like a shield, like a green knight on the training field. Now was the chance to step out from behind that protection. In front of him was an opportunity to be a part of something great, and lead once again. The fabled king within him rose to the challenge.

"Gwaine, please let them know: 'I am flattered by their request, and I will consider it carefully.'" The glint in his eyes told the men watching that he had already made his decision, but a good negotiator never accepted the first offer that was presented.

"...Will do." Gwaine responded. The slight chuckle on the other end, let Arthur know his knight understood the message. "Now, are you boys ready to hear about something really interesting?"

* * *

"I've been talking to Jack, and I can use the Torchwood equipment to continue working on things like the staff." Martha leaned against the kitchen counter and took a sip of her tea.

Merlin's eyes widened, "The staff? What does the staff have to do with this?"

"Arthur had asked me to look into it. I've been able to do some scans and..." She stared into her cup. Her unease with her findings caused Martha's shoulders to tighten. "The blue stone...it's not a stone at all. It is almost more of a resin, made entirely of crystallized protein."

"Martha, what are you saying?"

"It's the albumen of an egg..." She said quietly. A vision of the dragon in the holographic display made it seem more real, than it had just the day before. "...The 'white' mucous surrounding an actual embryo...of what appears to be a dragon."

Merlin paled and his stomach began twisting, "Are you certain?" He managed to ask after a time.

Martha nodded. She had been dreading telling him, knowing how close he had been to the dragon he called Kilgharrah. After listening to him describe the link that he now knew he shared with Aithusa, the lead balloon in her belly felt even heavier, but she knew she had to tell him.

"They're using dragon embryos...to power their staves?" His mind reeled; his heart clenched. If the Ori had used the dragons from before to do such a thing, he couldn't begin to imagine what they had been doing to Aithusa. Merlin knew the white dragon was in pain, but this went far beyond anything he had envisioned. He couldn't even cry. He was so shocked by the information. He thought about the electronic journals, and wondered if Moros had known. Had the Alteran, whom he was named after, discovered this and hidden it within the information on the Sidhe that Merlin had skipped over for convenience?

All the calm he had regained over the past few days nearly fled from his mind. Underneath the surface, there was now a rage unlike he'd ever experienced. It boiled, and his magic thrummed in time with it. If he only knew where to go, and how to get enough power to the Gate to take him there, he'd be on his way to Celestis to make the Ori pay. The very idea that they were possibly using Aithusa to create more eggs for their twisted sense of self-righteous domination was unfathomable. "If only I could go back in time and find a Sidhe...I'd find a way to make them tell me where the Ori would have taken Aithusa. I will find some way to make them pay for this...For everything they have done."

"I'm still waiting for Carolyn or one of the others at the SGC to respond, but I believe the energy in the staff is how the Priors can open the Stargates like they do. Hey..." She asked thoughtfully. "What about one of the Priors? Didn't the SGC use something to negate their powers, and attempt to get information from one of them?"

"Yes, they did...but, no, that wouldn't work. From all that I have found out, the Priors are as clueless as they come." He stood up from the kitchen chair, and growled in his frustration. Rifling his hands through his hair, he started to pace.

Her hand brushed his arm, when he passed by her. The grounding effect was almost instantaneous. "We'll find a way."

Merlin turned to her. He lifted her up onto the counter. With his arms around her waist, he pressed his face against her chest. Holding her, and breathing in her scent, he felt the calm within her core. Gentle fingertips grazed his cheeks and tipped his face up. Her lips met his, light and loving; a soft reminder that he didn't have to be alone in this.

"Aw! It is so good ta see you kids happy and together again."

"'Morning, Harri!" Merlin said, breaking off the kiss. If he was annoyed by the interruption, he hid it well.

"Oh. Good Morning, Merlin, sir. Now, if you would please remove Madam from my counter, so I can clean it and get brunch made for everyone? I'd appreciate it."

Her statement gave him pause. Merlin turned to her with narrowed eyes. He had hoped to spend at least most of the day with just Martha, and with little to no distractions. "What do you mean 'everyone?'"

Harri had already begun to pull out her mixing bowls and baking sheets. "Well, Mrs. Pendragon called. Mrs. Jones is drivin' her and the baby back out today, along with your sister, marm. From what she told me, the lads are back in town, and will be arrivin' here about the same time. They tried to call both of ya, before calling my phone. Did you have yours turned off?"

Harri looked up, when Merlin released a loud groan, and buried his face in between his wife's breasts.

"Is there somethin' the matter?"

* * *

Merlin stared openly at his friend, attempting to figure out what was different. There had been a change in Arthur, since he and the other men had arrived back at the manor. It was reminiscent of the moment after Arthur had pulled the sword from the stone; a newly found faith in his own skills as a leader, and the destiny before him.

"Merlin, is there something on my face?"

"Nope." Under his breath, he muttered, "Not yet."

"Then, why are you continuing to stare at me like that?"

Merlin shrugged, but didn't offer an answer.

Arthur pulled Merlin's phone from his pocket, and tossed it across the room. "Gwaine called."

"Ah. So, he told you about the whole Alliance lark, then?" That would explain it, Merlin thought to himself, easily catching the airborne device.

"He did. Although, I think I would have liked to have heard it from you, but you were obviously having one of your idiotic moments, and didn't think it was important enough to tell me."

"I had other things on my mind, Arthur." He glanced at the woman next to him on the sofa. They shared a secretive smile. While Merlin had been ready to share the news the day before, it was decided that morning, since it was still very early in the pregnancy, that they would keep it their secret for at least a little while. "Are you going to accept it?"

A thoughtful look crossed the former king's face, reminiscent of the times when Arthur had negotiated peace treaties with hostile kingdoms. Years of memories surfaced, from the numerous times when Merlin had seen that very same look. He knew the answer, and all it took was a smirk from Arthur to confirm it. "He had another interesting tale, as well. I have no idea what half of what he said was, but it appeared that there is another alien thing, at their outpost in the Pegasus Galaxy called Wraiths. By opening a wormhole, in an attempt to disrupt the Supergate from Pegasus, coincidence and luck had simultaneously destroyed one of those Wraith ships...and one of the Ori ships on this side."

That explained the change in Merlin's connection to Aithusa. Unfortunately, it also made it more difficult to try and follow the shared link, in order to save the dragon.

"...Dr. Jackson and Vala were searching through the Atlantis archives for information on the location of the weapon we were looking for on Camelot."

Merlin nodded thoughtfully, barely hearing Arthur. Without the wormhole connection, he had less of a clue on how to find Aithusa. An idea began to formulate on how he could reach Celestis. Though it sickened him, he realized it might be the only way. If the Priors could use their staves to open the wormholes, then why couldn't he do the same?

Should he do that? He wondered. From all he had learned, he began to piece together that the dragons were originally creatures of space, born from a nebula in Celestis, with the natural ability to create wormholes. There were obscure references to the idea in the file from Dr. Jackson, that Mickey had translated months prior. The whole thing appeared to be almost a manual for basic dragon knowledge...or at least parts of it.

Merlin mentally snickered when he realized that it must have been written by Moros. It followed the same meandering thought process as the journals, where some good information was shared, but then the author would skew off on some odd tangent, with little to no bearing on the actual topic.

If Merlin understood it correctly, it was the dragon's power that had first shown the Alterans and the Ori the possibilities of wormhole travel, and perhaps even how to begin their path to Ascension. Neither theory was very sound. Whatever happened had taken place at least a million years ago. So, he wasn't sure if he could truly believe it, but no other possibility made as much sense.

As abhorrent as the idea was, Merlin could see no other way to reach Aithusa. The Priors' staves were different than the Sidhe staff he possessed, as Dr. Lee from the SGC had finally called Martha to explain. While sharing some of the similar protein structures, the Sidhe version was definitely an earlier model, and much more natural. The Prior version had no sign of an actual embryo.

The closest explanation that the Stargate scientist had been able to come up with, was that it was a clone of clone, of a clone. If there had been an embryo at one point, the genetic code had been tampered with so many times, that it was like: "...How a bowl of mashed potatoes, with butter and gravy, matched to a freshly harvested potato. Essentially they were both potatoes, but..." Martha had stopped Dr. Lee, just as he was about to make another analogy with an omelette. She had seen the look on Merlin's face, as he listened in on the conversation.

_"I'm not sure I ever want to eat eggs...or potatoes...again. Those poor pitiful spuds." He had stated, after the call had ended._

In an instant, his hand was up, the golden glow filling his eyes, and the pillow that was previously aimed at him, was soaring back toward Arthur's face.

The blond man let out an 'oof' as it caught him square in the nose. Uproarious laughter spilled from everyone in the room, including Arthur. "So, you were paying attention!"

"Um..." Merlin cringed and admitted, "Actually...no, I wasn't."

"What were you thinking about, Merlin?" Gwen asked.

Merlin's mouth dropped open. He hadn't even noticed when she had arrived with Martha's mother and sister. He stood up and made his way toward his friend, giving her a hug; mindful of her growing belly. Gwen was well over halfway through her pregnancy, and, according to her doctors, in perfect health. He couldn't wait to see the same glow that Gwen had...that of the soon-to-be mother...on Martha.

Gwen made a sound of approval as she wrapped her arms around him. "You look so much better than I thought you would, after what everyone told me." Gwen cupped her friend's cheeks in her hands. "Are you alright? Really?...And don't you dare lie to me!"

"I'm alright." He answered honestly. For the time being, he was. Martha caught his eye and smiled. While a part of him was still missing, he would never be completely well, and she understood that. But, for the moment, he felt rejuvenated by the distance from Aithusa's pain, and the energy from the crystals. Martha's news had made his heart swelled with hope for the future.

* * *

"You shouldn't be here, Lancelot." Ganos Lal's consciousness sensed the space around her. Her friend was alone, for now.

"What happened?" He asked, his mental desire for answers reaching out and telling her that it was more than just a question of her current circumstance.

"I was caught passing information to Daniel Jackson on the last two planets. He knows how to find them now. I just hope he can put the pieces together."

"I thought you were just going to take the place of the hologram of yourself on Atlantis and, uh, nudge slightly."

Ganos Lal sighed, "I was, but Daniel is much more astute than even I gave him credit for, especially after having spent time among us. I slipped up and called him by his name. He had his answer! Why couldn't he have left well enough alone?"

"...But, he understands we are trying to help him?"

"He tried to challenge me...challenge us. He, and you, my friend, are correct in that  _we_  can't stand by much longer. Your friends must find the power, while Daniel and his people discover the means."

Lancelot tried to reach out and brush his consciousness against hers, but the prison she was in wouldn't allow for it. "There are more who have begun to realize the direness of the situation that the Ori have brought upon us." He said encouragingly.

"It's still not enough, Lancelot. You know this. There are not enough of us who understand what is at stake. I am beginning to question my own wisdom in destroying Moros' weapon, centuries ago."

"You didn't destroy it all, though, did you?" The former knight said, reminding her of an earlier conversation.

She shook her head minutely and whispered softly into his mind. "I did not even destroy Moros, as I was ordered."

"Where...?" He started to ask, but stopped as they felt another one of their kind coming closer.

They waited until the entity had passed, before Ganos Lal spoke again. "The others, who believe as we do, are too afraid of the consequences. It is up to you, Lancelot, but you must be careful."

He knew their time was short, and he pressed the equivalent of his hand against her prison wall. "I will...My Lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: 
> 
> Well...here is where (at least for the HoC and AO3 postings) Part Five comes to a close. I will be doing everything I can to complete this story in Part six...which doesn't have a title yet...) This part may seem a little shorter than previous ones, but I don't want to try and break 6 off anywhere, so it is planned to be the longest yet. Part 6 beginning at chapter 60 and hopefully concluding somewhere around chapter 75...is my current plan...and we all know how well that goes *rolls eyes* However, I think now that all the mythology and most of the technology foundations are really laid out for you all, I don't have any excuse hehe
> 
> Proofreading done by the wonderful Prairie-Dog Puffin, Nance. Without her this story wouldn't be as wonderful as it is. And to IcarusLSU who helps me to remember what has been put in notes and what has been put in the actual story.
> 
> Please leave a comment if you would be so kind!


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